Barking Dogs Do Not Bite
by just-Felton
Summary: Three years ago, shortly after the war ended, Draco Malfoy fled from the wizarding world and has hidden since then among muggles. However when some muggles are after him will Potter show again up as the hero?Anal,Angst,Language,M/M,Oral,SoloM,Violence,WIP
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

**Warnings:** Not HBP nor DH compliant, Blood, Violence, Angst, Death (not HP or DM), Language, Slash (Dom!Harry, Sub!Draco), Anal, Oral, SoloM, AR, WIP

**Rating:** NC-17, Adult++

**Summary:** Three years ago, shortly after the war ended, Draco Malfoy fled from the wizarding world and has hidden since then among muggles. However when some muggles are after him as well and he needs to run again who else should save him other than a wizard that wants to be his personal saviour and has some secrets of his own to be discovered.

**A/N:** Hello! There's not much to say at the moment, just that it's the first time that I try to write such story. I hope you'll like all the twist and turns. The main points are all in my head, but still need to be written.

Please enjoy the first chapter and tell me what you think! ZooArmy (aka just-Felton) 

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**Barking Dogs Do Not Bite**

**BETA: Chris** (thank you, for your help and faith in this story)

Chapter 01

Walking between warehouses by night was nothing new anymore. Living for three years in the muggle world had taught Draco Lucius Malfoy a lot because he had needed to blend into a world he had never believed to be so complicated in a very short time.

His father had always taught him Muggles were, well… dull, but that was far from truth. By now he knew what warehouses were for and that not everyone used the rented space for storage purposes. There were as many second lives lived in the muggle world as in the wizarding world, everyone tried to hide secrets, he of cause was no exception.

He didn't like walking around by night, but recently some things had gone bad in his life… oh, who was he kidding? His whole life was a mess… but another pound was added to his ballast.

Not only was he hiding from the wizarding world now, but he had some muggles hounding him as well, it may be for entirely different reasons, but that was only a minor detail.

Since leaving the wizarding world he wasn't wealthy anymore and lived a pauper's life, only surviving due to temporary employments and in the end it seemed God hated him although he hadn't been reduced to a petty crook.

Through all the years, months and weeks, this way of living had caused no damage and he had managed – somehow – until now. Thanks to his lack of knowledge he had drifted into one of those dubious doorstep brigades which at first he had thought was the perfect job. Everyone was nice (in the beginning), he got board and lodging for free and only needed to go from door to door trying to get signatures from some stupid muggles on contracts that stated they would donate money for organisations (that never existed in the first place).

Draco thought that his Malfoy charm would open every door for him, even literally, and at first everything was fine and he brought home the expected signed contracts, but little by little the 'perfect job's' mask crumbled and Draco now realised where he had ended up.

Suddenly his boss got raving mad if he underperformed; sometimes he went to bed with a bruised cheek, a black eye or even a sprained hand, foot or knee. The money he earned with the exhausting task of walking from door to door never even crossed his way anymore. For everything in the house existed rules and if you infringed one rule your salary was cut shorter and shorter until, in the end, you were more in debt than the amount of money you actually earned.

After four months Draco had enough and in a cloak-and-dagger operation he forced the entrance door that was always locked when they weren't out for 'work' open and he did a moonlight flit.

He only had room in his rucksack for the most important things he owned for he could only take a small amount of his belongings with him. Everything else was left behind as he ran for his dear life.

And that is how he ended up in an area like this, a complex full of warehouses. Only one side of the ginnel was lit by lanterns, if you actually wanted to call that dim-something 'light'. Draco knew it was dangerous to walk through the cones of light, instead of choosing the dark side of the ginnel, but as stupid as it may sound, the small light gave him some security.

Footsteps echoed through the alleyway and broke the deathly silence. Draco winced and jumped away from one of the light cones and pressed himself flat against the wall in the darkness between two lanterns.

Were they already coming for him? How did they know he was here? The footsteps grew louder and Draco held his breath. He listened. It was only one pair of feet, in heavy sounding boots, but only one person nevertheless. Draco exhaled in relief. His boss, sorry, ex-boss was an arsehole through and through and would be sure to send a group after him, if not groups. They would grab him, beat him close to death and drag him back to his 'job'.

The ginnel wasn't wide, but he couldn't see the other when they passed him. Draco only listened to the noise of dull but heavy clonking boots. Were they limping? The sounds were definitely nonrhythmic. Anyway, why should he care?

He felt some tension let go of his tired muscles when the stranger went on his way without looking at him or at least not caring about him, after all it was dark and he couldn't see the other.

Malfoy pushed off the wall when the footsteps died away and went into the direction the stranger had come from. He hadn't been walking for two minutes when he heard barking dogs which made him wonder what was wrong with this area; it seemed to be livelier than some of the high streets in the villages.

The dogs appeared to be far away to his left and so he decided to round the next right corner only to be confronted with men he never wanted to see again, less than two hundred metres away. His heart stopped beating for a moment and his mind stopped working, like his legs. Why were they looking for him here of all the places London could offer?

Four men, as wide and as tall as the build of a bear, and they were all looking for him. He knew them well enough to know one would be enough to kill him. He heard the whistling for the dogs of one of the men and it jerked Draco out of his fear induced petrifaction; he felt like his heart had just begun beating again.

He heard the dogs bark and realised with growing panic that the four men had noticed him and had started to move his way. With sudden clarity, he didn't know he could muster; he turned around and ran back the way he had come. He wouldn't go back to that bond service and work his arse off for nothing – no matter what.

He heard the men yell threats and obscenities after him and the barking of the dogs just added to the noise. Draco wondered how far away the dogs had been because they hadn't caught him yet and ripped his throat out.

Making sure the rucksack was firmly strapped to his back he looked back over his shoulder to guess how close his doom was getting and just like in a bad movie he faltered and almost fell. His hands grabbed something, or rather someone and he found his balance back.

"I'm sorry so sorry." Draco squeaked, his panic pitching his voice some octaves higher. He figured he must have caught up with the stranger that had crossed his path before. He quickly let go of the back of the other person, but found he couldn't run away, because his wrist was caught by the other bloke.

Panic doubled in the blond and he thought his heart would break free from its cage behind his ribs or he would start coughing blood to take the pressure from his veins, which were pumping his blood too fast. He was one of them! He was after him as well and everything was lost now, Draco thought.

He yanked at the annoying arm, but was instead spun around to face the other. He heard the four men, they were getting close, but for a moment Draco didn't care, he let out a cry of shock until a hand quickly clamped over his mouth.

"Over there!" he heard one man yell.

"Sshhh." the man that held him captive urged. Why was his captor wearing a dog's face? In what kind of freak show did he walk? Why was he looking at a dog's face? Draco asked in his mind again and again; his grey eyes were wide open in fear and he stared unblinkingly at the dog face until tears streamed down his face and his eyes stung.

"Be quiet and they won't find you." The stranger whispered. He let go of Draco and threw his heavy leather coat over Draco's form. "Get on the ground and stay under the coat. And make no sound!" Draco did as told, stunned into obedient submission. He crouched on the ground and pulled the coat over his head, not daring look at anything, not even peeking out under the collar. The sounds were enough.

He cowered in a dark corner and heard the men near. What was the stranger up to?

"Where's he?" One voice growled angrily.

"Who?" asked another and Draco knew it was the stranger's. His voice was deep and sounded quite intimidating, even though he wasn't yelling. The whisper had definitely sounded much warmer and emotional.

"Don't play dumb, dog-boy. Where's Blondie? Don't help him, he's not worth it and I'm sure you want to keep your body intact, don't you, dog-boy?" The other voice asked again and his fellows guffawed dumbly; apparently he was the leader out of the four and had his three muscleheads trained into obedience.

"Was that a threat?" Draco could hear the ridicule in the strangers' voice and winced inwardly. Was the 'dog' death hungry? Oh god, he wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge of someone dieing, because he had tried to help him. His conscious revolted, but he couldn't move. He was glued to the ground and couldn't make a sound.

"I warn you, dog. Tell us where Blondie ran or you won't say anything for a very long time."

"Nah, I can't do that. You see, the bloke was really scared of you and four against one wouldn't be fair." The dog-mask man said. Draco couldn't believe his ears. Did this bloke suffer some serious hero-complex or was he eager dieing a painful death or maybe he was simply thick as two short planks?

"Grab him!" the leader of the four yelled and seconds later a loud thud echoed through the ginnel, followed by a silent groan. Did they pin him to a wall? No 'niceties' were exchanged anymore and the air filled with groans and yells and mad barking from the dogs. Sometimes he could hear the punches and the following groans of pain and Malfoy begged and prayed that it wasn't only the pain filled sounds of his saviour he was hearing.

He couldn't tell who was who anymore, the ongoing barking hindered him, but actually he was somewhat grateful for drowning out the groans and occasional whimpers.

And suddenly everything was quiet. An extremely loud thud followed by the deathly silence just like the one he had wandered in before and Draco didn't know if it was a good sign or a very, very bad sign.

"Let's get away from this freak." The leader of the small gang yelled and his voice hadn't that holier-than-thou ring to it anymore, but sounded almost strained. He whistled for the dogs and Draco listened to every retracting footstep.

They were gone! He didn't know how long he would find peace, but for tonight he was safe, of that he was sure, but what about the stranger? Panic flared up in his chest again and his body took revenge when his windpipe constricted for a moment and forbade him to breathe.

Was the other still alive? Could he help the stranger now that he had helped Draco? Draco tried to move and this time it worked, as though a spell was taken from him. He peeked out under the coat and saw no one. He lifted the coat from his head to get a better view and saw his saviour lying on the ground, spread-eagled in the centre of a cone of light from one lantern.

Draco quickly stood up, the coat resting on his shoulders, and winced when the nerves in his legs protested against the move, he hadn't even noticed them going numb. Hurrying over to the stranger on shaky legs, he saw the damage the others had caused; torn clothes, bruises and blood, but the stupid mask still in tact and in place.

Draco dropped to his knees, next to the young man and heard his heavy breathing. "I'm so sorry, so so sorry. I didn't know they would… You shouldn't have… I'm so sorry." The blond blabbered, too shocked to end one sentence properly, but he searched for the eyes of the stranger and looked into warm, chocolate coloured ones to show his honesty. "Oh God, how can I make up for this? I can't give you anything."

"No need. It's okay." The stranger said quietly and his voice was filled with that certain warmth again, but missed anything that showed he was in pain.

"It's not okay, at least let me take you to a hospital."

"NO!" that one word was spoken with total determination and Draco knew it was final.

"Then let me dress your wounds. Please. I've nothing here, but I'll find a chemist. Please!" Draco begged sincerely. He didn't give a damn about Malfoy pride at the moment, especially when someone could die right in front of him. He heard a soft chuckle, but didn't comment.

"Okay. Take my hand." The stranger said and lifted his hand from the ground. Without a second thought Draco grabbed it, thinking he should help the other up from the ground, but all of a sudden the world was spinning and he apparated for the first time in three years again. You couldn't forget that feeling; as if your bowels were pressed to a quarter of their usual size.

They landed and Draco thanked everybody, anybody that he had kneeled or he would have fallen face first to the floor. "You're a wizard" the blond whispered and looked down at the other man that still held his hand. He didn't know where he was, but it was as badly lit as the ginnel before, only warmer, A fireplace. They must be in a room to be feeling the warmth and light from a fireplace.

A swing door was pushed open and Draco's ears were filled with deep angry snarls. The blond turned his head slowly around and came face to face with three big dogs. No, they weren't big, they were gigantic and quite intimidating when you kneeled in front of them and they snarled at you angrily so that their flews revealed sharp teeth.

"Girls!" The stranger said firmly and snapped the fingers of his left hand. The dogs fell momentarily silent and sat on their hind legs, begging with puppy eyes for praise.

Draco's eyes switched to and fro between the dogs and the bloke on the ground. One snap and the killing machines turned into little lambs?

The other let go of his hand and sat slowly up to stand up completely. His movements weren't fluent, but he didn't make a sound or show otherwise that he was in pain. "I think you shouldn't stand until I've taken care of your wounds."

"It's okay. You can take care of it after I've introduced you." The stranger said and still Draco couldn't see anything of his face except for his brown eyes, but he knew he was smiling when he went to the three dogs. All three sought his attention, but didn't dare stand up and waited with madly wagging tails until they got their fair share of tender loving care and words of praise.

"Girls," the stranger said and Draco noticed once again that this stranger was indeed STRANGE, with his dog-mask and his perfectly trained she-dogs. Did he stumble from one nightmare into another? "This is Draco Malfoy. Malfoy, these are Lilith, Scylla and Ammit."

Draco however didn't register the names of the dogs. His mind got stuck at the moment when his name rolled from the tongue of a total stranger. He was doomed. This meant nothing good. He had never mentioned his name around this bloke. Never! Malfoy looked up from the floor, where he still kneeled and looked at – how had the other idiot called him again – dog-boy.

"How do you… How… Why do you know my name?" Draco asked and his voice got quieter the more he allowed panic to overtake him.

"Ha!" The stranger laughed forced and Draco sensed the nervousness. Why should he be nervous? "I know you won't like this, but it's just fair to know who I am, right?"

With a practised movement that showed the routine of the same, the stranger reached behind his head and Draco heard a zipper being pulled open. The dog-mask man dropped his head forward and Draco saw dark locks seeking their way out of the open zipper at the back of the head. Strong hands grabbed the ends and pulled the mask from the face.

Messy black locks fell over the whole face so that Draco didn't see anything, although he looked upwards into the lowered face. The hair was pushed out of the face and Draco gasped in shock when he stared at a faint smile and glowing green eyes.

"Potter"

"In the flesh." Harry said slightly amused. No wonder that he had thought the bloke had a hero-complex; Potter was the epitome of hero-complexes.

"What were you doing between the warehouses?"

"Oh, I could ask you the same, Malfoy. And while we're at it, where have you been for the last three years?"

"It's none of your business, Potter." Draco retorted defiantly. Never in a million years would he have thought Potter was under the mask.

"Fine." Harry huffed and rested his hand on one of the dogs head. "So, why did those wankers try to beat me into a pulp to get to know your whereabouts?" Ouch, that struck a cord. Now Draco felt guilty and his conscious chided him.

"Come on, Potter. Let's get this over with and I'll leave again." Draco said calmly, completely ignoring Harry's question and the burning gaze sent towards him. "Do you have a first-aid kit or any healing potions?"

"I'm okay. I don't need anything. I just brought you here to talk."

"But I won't talk. And maybe your bloody ego is too occupied with praising yourself to notice, but look at yourself, you're bleeding, bruised and I wager there're at least two broken ribs." Draco stood finally up from the floor and reached out to touch Harry's ribcage. The brunette tried to suppress a hiss, but his face scrunched up in agony and all three dogs growled threateningly. "Am I right?" Draco asked with a sneer.

"Fine, you git." Harry growled like his dogs, and turned around to leave the dimly lit room, only one dog (the biggest) following him. Draco looked down at the two remaining dogs, but they didn't move. He went over to the door and followed Potter and finally he heard paws tapping behind him on the wooden floor.

"Potter?" he called, when no one was in the hall.

"Upstairs!"

The blond followed the voice and he was followed by two watchdogs on eight paws. The first floor was lit by small wall lamps and again no sight of Potter. The dogs trudged around him and through the only open door.

Draco shrugged and followed slowly, but stopped again when he could see into the room. "POTTER! What are you doing?"  
The brunette looked at him with huge confused eyes.

"I, er, getting undressed?"

"What, why?" The shredded shirt lay already on the floor, which allowed Draco a proper look at Potter's upper body at least what he could see through the blood.  
Draco's breath stuck in his throat, Potter had really taken a serious beating for him. Everything was black and blue and swollen and covered in red liquid.

Potter opened his belt and Draco squeaked. "What are you doing?" He asked again, his panic only visible for those who knew him well. The saviour sighed and sat on his bed to untie the bootlaces of his heavy boots.

"Didn't you listen yet? I said I'll take a shower to get rid of the grime and blood to clean the wounds.

"Oh, ooohh." Draco said, his mouth forming a perfect 'o' in realisation.

"You can wait here." Potter said and went into the attached bathroom, his jeans still resting on his hips, which Draco mentally thanked him for. The door shut with a quiet click and the blond was alone with three huge dogs.

At least they weren't snarling anymore. Fortunately he wasn't scared of dogs and knew what he needed to do to win their trust. Draco went slowly into the room, looked at the dogs, but not directly in their eyes and stretched his hand out towards the monsters.

All three girls began sniffing at his hand and accepted him, when they began to lick the hand affectionately. Draco smiled and patted the dogs. "You three are real snuggle-bugs, huh?" He sat down on the floor, leaned his back against the bed and waited for the dogs to settle down as well.

"I need to ask Potter about your names again. He really shocked me back then, you know?" Oh God, he wasn't five minutes alone with the dogs and talked to them already. But they were lovely and cute, when they didn't snarl at you, weren't they?

He heard the water running in the bathroom and let his gaze wander through Potter's bedroom. Who would have ever believed that some day he would sit in Potter's bedroom? Too lazy to stand up and switch on the ceiling lightning and too occupied with patting three dogs, Draco decided to be nosy with only the light from the floor, coming through the open door, and the small bedside lamp.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer, Warnings, Rating, Summary can be found at Chapter 01.**

**A/N: Thank you for the wonderful Reviews.** I hope it will become more soon. Tehe.  
About the 'demonic dogs': In a later chapter everything will be revealed.  
I wish you all a happy new year and don't get carried away. Remember: Alcohol is veeery bad.

**REVIEWS** will be printed out, framed and hung on the wall.

**--  
BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**Beta: Chris **(you need to thank him that this story reads this smoothly)

Chapter 02

Potter's room wasn't overstuffed and you didn't feel cramped. When Draco craned his neck and looked over his left shoulder, he could see that the bed was quite big and at the feet, along the whole length, lay an old battered blanket for the dogs.

Potter had decided on a traditional four poster bed that the huge thing seemed even more impressive with its posts and tied back hangings. Draco thought they were purple, like the wall behind the head of the bed, but wasn't certain, because of the dim light.

Opposite the entrance door, was a huge wardrobe that seemed far too big if you knew that it belonged to Potter, or had he many of those rags he wore, only that they looked all the same? But today he hadn't worn rags.

From his seat on the ground, on the side of the bed that faced the entrance, he saw a chaise lounge in the right corner and a book shelf behind it on the wall with the door. A standard lamp and a small round carpet mat on the dark wood-floor completed the reading corner perfectly.

Where were the windows? Draco looked around again and spotted heavy hangings to the left of the bathroom door, which was on the wall across the bed. The blond stood up, the dogs not in the mood to follow. He pushed the hangings aside and looked into the dark night through huge windows that reached from ceiling to floor. Bright light shined outside from the right side and Draco noticed the balcony that was attached to the bedroom.

He opened the lock and stepped out into the chilly night. The light he had seen came from Potter's bathroom that had a glass door to the balcony as well. Malfoy peeked through the misted glass and made an 'eeping' noise.

He stumbled back into the bedroom, closed the door and pulled the hangings swiftly shut. He hadn't wanted to peep. Really! Why did Potter need to step into his view? He didn't want to peep. Really! Why had he stared at Potter's arse? A very nice arse at that. Draco groaned at this thought, when he flopped down between the dogs.

The bathroom door opened, making Malfoy jump. "What's wrong?" Harry asked, what involuntarily resulted in Draco turning his neck and looking at him. "You seem to be getting along pretty good with my girls." Potter said with a grin and flopped down on the bed. Draco's eyes were still fixed to the spot that Potter had occupied seconds ago.

"Can't… can't you wear a bit more that a towel?" He finally grumbled, trying to cover his embarrassment. Now that the blood was gone, Draco had a good look on the well-trained body Potter called his and the 'naked-butt-incident' didn't help in the least to lessen the admiration.

Golden Boy's (Draco knew he wasn't a boy anymore with his twenty-one years, but Potter would always remain Golden Boy, scar-head or boy wonder for him) chuckles reached his ears and he changed his sitting position to look at Potter without twisting his neck.

"What? Do you want to dress my wounds while I wear jeans and a shirt or would you prefer a riding suit?"

"Funny Potter, Reeeeeally funny." He stood up from the ground and stood next to the bed. "Dressing material?" he asked curtly and looked at the open wounds on Potter's chest that was nicely displayed by the git, when he leaned back on his arms. How had Potter managed to shower with such wounds without screaming in pain?

"I've some healing ointment in the bedside table you can use."

Draco's eyebrows scrunched together in a dark scowl. "Are you bloody insane? Do you want those to inflame or even scar?" He asked while pointing at the wounds that had stopped bleeding but were still raw flesh.

"It won't scar."

"How do you know?"

"I just know, okay… Fine," Harry sighed. "What do you need? Although I know this will heal without any 'treatment'." He made quotation marks in the air.

"Bandages, mull, antiseptic and plaster." Draco itemised, but saw Harry's mouth hanging open and he frowned.

"You, Draco Lucius Malfoy, know plaster?"

The blond rolled his eyes in disbelief at the stupid question. "As a side effect of living in the muggle world, yes, Potter, I know plaster."

"You lived in the muggle world?" Harry was almost speechless.  
This pillock had more blond moments than his hair colour allowed Draco realised. Of course he lived in the muggle world, how else would he have been able to hide for three years from the magic folk?

"Of course I lived with muggles, you dunderhead. Could we get on with this? This conversation is getting into directions I don't like."

"Hey, don't insult me. After all, I was the one who saved you."

"Yes, but no one asked for your help, Potter." Draco retorted with venom.

"And no one asked you to dress my wounds." Harry threw back.

"That's true, but I promised it and a Malfoy keeps his promises. So, get me everything necessary." Malfoy demanded and kneeled on the bed next to Harry. The brunette raised one eyebrow and leaned further down on the bed, now resting on his elbows.

"You really know how to treat people. Sometimes a 'please' would help, it wouldn't kill you. Harry made a whooshing movement with his hand and moments later bandages, mull, antiseptic and plaster flew through the open door and landed on the bedside table. The dogs were seemingly used to flying objects or they would have reacted in some way.

Draco smirked at the half naked brunette and gloated. "See, I get what I want without that word." Harry just shook his head and rolled his eyes. He lay completely down on the bed and looked at Draco expectantly.

"Want to keep gawking at me or bandage my wounds?"

"Pft." Draco snorted. "Gawking? At you? Is there anything to gawk at?" Well, yes, there was –a lot indeed- but he would never admit it. Malfoy grabbed the items from the bedside table and let his eyes wander over Potter's chest to choose a wound to start with.

He saw the dark, almost black bruises along the ribcage and reached out to run a finger over them, but this time Potter didn't flinch at all. "You really should see a doctor. I can't heal broken ribs and it can turn out rather nasty."

"It will heal after a while on its own."

"Fine, Potter, suffer. It's not my body you torture and I only wanted to help." Draco bitched around and began to rip mull into right pieces. Deciding not to torment Potter too much, after all he had saved him tonight, he trickled the antiseptic on the mull instead of the respective wounds.

"This will burn a bit now." He warned and put the mull on the first wound, a deep gash on the left chest, but the brunette didn't react a bit. "Er, did you feel that?"

"Huh? Yes, it's a bit cold." Harry said and dropped his head back on the bed. Draco put his forehead in wrinkles. Where Potter's nerve endings numb or why didn't he show any sign of pain? Oh, wait, Potter, I'll get you, Draco thought and felt a smirk tugging at the right corner of his mouth.

He fixed the mull with plaster and let his hands gently glide over the soft unharmed skin that stretched over Potter's right chest. He wanted at least a moan, only one moan to reassure himself that he hadn't lost his appeal.

Draco didn't know what way Potter was swinging, but that didn't matter. If gentle, soft hands glided over your body, the gender was irrelevant, as long the hands felt good and you enjoyed the touch.

The blond patched up the next wounds, always being anxious to touch Potter gently and sensually and he looked with a triumphant smirk at the green eyes when Golden Boy shifted under his hands.

But the feeling of success deflated quickly when Potter only lifted his arms to rest them behind his head, displaying his torso even more.  
"Something wrong?" Harry asked when he saw the strange look of Malfoy.

"No, no, everything's fine; Peaches and Cream." The blond said gloomily and Harry wondered what had happened to change his mood so quickly.

Draco was done with the mull and had the bandages wrapped around Harry's torso. He stood up from the bed, petted the dogs once again and looked at Harry. "Thanks again for your help tonight. I'll find the way out alone. Bye."

Harry looked a bit gobsmacked when Draco went out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

No, his ego didn't hurt because Potter hadn't shown interest, let alone showed a reaction to his ministrations. No, his ego felt perfectly right. He felt perfectly right. Yeah, right and the Titanic only had a minor accident. Such conceit knows no bounds.

He went through the swing door, picked his rucksack up and left again for the hall. Looking around, he saw the entrance of the house in the same moment when Potter bolted down the stairs, the dogs sharp on his heels. "Hey, what's wrong? Why do you run away from me? I couldn't even say bye."

"Okay, Potter, here's your chance. Bye, Potter." Draco said and sauntered over to the exit. He wanted out of here, away from Potter, to forget his debt, to forget the disgrace he just had experienced. He was a little Drama Queen, but it hurt nevertheless.

"Wait! You can have the guest room for tonight." Harry tried to persuade him to stay and Draco wondered why he was so keen on keeping him in his house. What, if he wanted to hand him over to the Ministry of Magic?

Malfoy growled almost inaudibly in the back of his throat, only the dogs heard it and came over from their spots next to Potter, looking if he was fine. He kneeled down, gave them a short cuddle and stood again up to open the door. "Don't bother, Potter." He said coldly, but without the anger he had felt moments ago. "I don't need your charity. See, Potter, you missed your chance again." Draco said with a smirk, stepped out into the night and pulled the door shut.

He stepped the three stairs down and looked up and down the street. "I, I mean we, we will see you again, won't we?" Draco spun around and saw Potter standing in the open door, three dog heads peeking between his towel-clad leg and the doorframe. He loved those dogs.

"I don't think so, Potter." Malfoy heard the sigh and wondered what Potter was up to. He didn't react to his touches, but wanted to see him again and almost begged for it?

"Here. I think you'll need it." Through the dim light of the street lamp and from Potter's house Draco saw two pieces of paper floating over to him. He caught them with ease and noticed it as two twenty pound notes while unfolding.

"Potter, I told you, I don't need your Cha…rity." The last syllables were whispered, because Draco had looked up from his hands and at the closed door. The prat had closed the door. He huffed and jammed the money in his jeans pocket. Looking again around Draco groaned in defeat. He had not the slightest idea where he was.

It must be some suburb of London, Draco thought, well, actually hoped. They had apparated and that meant he could be in a completely different town. Feeling the safety of forty pounds in his pocket, he pulled the ten inches of Hawthorn out of his rucksack and called the Knight Bus.

It was the first time since, eh, a long time (he couldn't tell anymore how long) that he used his wand again. Out of sheer fear to get tracked down he had neglected this tool for channelling his magical power. He had neglected his magic at all, that is and it only resulted in neglecting his wand as well. But he held the precious piece of wood always close and did never think about leaving it somewhere behind.

The Knight Bus sped around a corner and came to a halt with screeching tyres right in front of Draco. The door opened and a lanky young man looked at him. "Good morning," Draco looked at his watch. Morning, in deed, it was already four in the morning and suddenly Draco felt terribly tired and only half-listened to the conductor's speech. "I'm Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the Knight Bus. Have you called for us?"

"Hmhm. How long does it take to London?"

"Hmm." Stan scratched his chin in thought. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, then I'd say five minutes. The streets are rather empty at such hour. Draco buckled his rucksack on his shoulders, but kept his wand in his hand. He didn't like this, er, Stan-bloke.

"Do you take muggle money?" he asked and went closer to the Bus.

"Of course!" Stan said haughtily as if the question had been an insult. Draco stepped with one foot into the Bus and Stan stepped aside to let him completely in.

"Fine, I'll stay tonight in the Bus and want to be dropped off in London tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Stan wrinkled his forehead in confusion, but didn't ask any question and nodded. Malfoy handed him one twenty pound note and took the change.

"You can have the last bed on the left side." Stan pointed towards said bed and Draco went over, keeping a hold on the other beds for support when the Bus started moving again with insane speed.

"Do I know you?" Stan suddenly asked and followed Draco over to his assigned bed with ease. The swaying and speed and the hazardous way of driving didn't affect him at all. "You look familiar to me."

Of course he looked familiar. Draco had the looks of his father and Malfoy's weren't made to walk below radar level, but somehow he'd learned to disappear in the muggle world. His hair colour hadn't been a problem, like he had feared, because many muggles were especially eager to dye their hair platinum blond.

At first he had thought they were all natural blonds, but that suspicion was quickly allayed and he had crowed mentally over the fact.

"I don't think so." The blond lied. He didn't want to be noticed as the lost Malfoy heir. "I've only just come to town and haven't been here before." Sometimes he wanted to thank his father for the lessons in 'Lying without shame and hiding behind an indifferent mask', but only sometimes, most of the time he hated him with every fibre of his body for what he'd done to their name, to their family.

If he hadn't kissed the hem of this half-blood Voldemort (yes, he dare say the name after three years) so passionately, their family would still be highly regarded and he, Draco, wouldn't live on the streets on muggle London.

"Stan, it's your name, right?" Malfoy asked and flopped down on the bed. "I don't want to be rude or something, but I'm really tired and would like to sleep now."

"Oh! Of course. I'm sorry, Mr…" he trailed off, but Draco didn't fall for the trick.

He lay down on the bed, with his clothes still on "Thank you, Stan." and pulled the curtains shut.

--

Thursday.  
Four days and three nights he had been living on the street again. Of course he had lived on the streets before, but it was always a change from a bed, surrounded by four walls and a roof, to the cold nights outside and nothing that kept you warm – no matter how battered the bed had been.

The forty pounds from Potter were already spent, London wasn't the most expensive city of the world for nothing, and he heard his stomach rumble in complaint.

Since Monday morning, when he had stepped out of the Knight Bus, he had wondered about Potter. He couldn't get the prat out of his mind. Why had he given him the money? Did he have a hunch that Draco was homeless? Why did he help him when he knew that it was him, Draco Lucius Malfoy?

It's not like they have ever been friends back in school, not even the war had changed a thing about it. Why had Potter been so eager to know what he had done the last three years? Why had he worn a frigging dog-mask?

Why had he been so casual around him, not even caring about undressing in front of him? Why had he taken a severe beating without complaint? Not even the wounds had unsettled Potter. And most importantly: Why had Potter not reacted to his touches? Was he that hetero that he didn't find anything appealing in a soft caress by a man? Or was it simply because it had been Draco Malfoy who had touched him?

The questions rotated in his mind in a never ending loop and although the thinking helped him through the nights; the fact that he didn't come to a satisfying answer made him mad and wore on his nerves.

The last days he had hidden in London Library and had done the one thing that he loved the most, but hadn't been able to do for the last four months - he read. His gormless ex-boss and his more gormless muscle men would never look for him in a library, that he felt relatively safe between all the shelves filled with books full of knowledge and wisdom.

For four months he hadn't had a book in his hands, because he had no money to buy one and no time to read it anyway. Even if he would have been able to obtain a book, if his ex-boss would have found it, he would have taken it, laughed at Draco for such nonsense and waste of time and would have burned it in front of his eyes.

To be honest, he had done it once with an old penny dreadful. Draco had found it on the attic shortly after he had moved in. After that the blond didn't dare try to hide a real book.

The problem with the library was that it closed over night and Draco was left alone on the streets. He stayed away from other homeless people and avoided lively places; that tactic had kept him safe before and would do this time as well.

The problem with the night was, beside everything else of course, the darkness. Malfoy had never feared the darkness before, but since his very first night as a homeless person the blackness frightened him when he was alone, this meant he was frightened every night.

This morning, after another mostly sleepless night, he had planned to continue the small routine he had created over the last three days and visit the library again, but the sun was shining so beautifully.

The nights got colder, the first sign that winter was close, and Draco wanted to enjoy the perhaps last warm rays of the year that he couldn't find in the library. Maybe he could save some warmth for the night, he thought with a small smile, knowing that he wasn't 'water enough' to become a heat reservoir.

Never mind, he would think about the cold nights when it was necessary, but not when he could sit on a bench in St. James's Park and absorb the sunlight like a sponge. Malfoy liked St. James's Park the most of all eight Royal Parks of London, out of the simple reason that it was the closest to London Library at St. James's Square. Only a five minutes walk lay between the library and the park, if Draco should decide to trade the sun for the dust of ancient books nevertheless.

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Remember the wall and don't forget to review.  
Anyone any questions?

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	3. Chapter 3

**If you're looking for the Disclaimer and stuff go back to chapter 1 (or in words: One)**

**A/N: Thanks for all your Reviews**. I hope there will follow more soon. Sorry, I'm greedy, it's my nature. Tehe.

Q/A: (Some questions that came up - strangely enough not about the story. Lol.)  
Am I English? Not at all. That's why I love my Beta. Grin.  
Am I male and gay? Not at all – again! I'm female and so definitely straight. Cough. Why would someone wants to know that?

**Please Review!!! You can do that, right? Right!**

**--  
BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**Beta: Chris**

Chapter 03

The sun did something to him. Although he knew how fucked up his situation was a small smile didn't want to leave his lips. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back and relaxed. He knew his carelessness could get dangerous, what had Mad-Eye always said 'Constant Vigilance', but right now he needed this too much to give a damn.

He listened to barking dogs, quacking ducks that swam in St. James's Park Lake, chatter of people that walked past him or sat on the lawn. Even the screaming and laughter of kids didn't annoy him at the moment. Nothing could bring him out of this zen-like state.

Except for a ball that hit him in the head.

"OW!" Draco yelped and rubbed his left temple where the ball had hit him. He looked around and spotted the culprit being picked up by a small girl. "I'm sorry, mister." She said and looked with rueful big brown eyes at him, her brown curly hair covering her face partly when a gust of wind whooshed along.

"Cassie, what have you done?" A male voice called exasperated. Draco looked up from the girl and felt his eyes turn big and round, like those of the girl. None other than Harry bloody Potter stood in front of him. Was she… was this cute girl his daughter?" "I'm so sorry." Potter said to him, but looked still at the girl. "Did you get hu… Draco?"

All right, the ball had damaged something inside his head. He had heard his first name rolling of Potter's tongue.

"Potter." He drawled. His eyes scanned quickly over the form of Golden Boy, but didn't find anything to comment on. And he would definitely not tell Potter that he thought he looked good in his dark jeans and overcoat.

"Apologise to the nice man." Potter said to the girl and Draco thought he needed to see a doctor. Nice man?

"No need, Potter. She apologised already." The brunette looked with raised eyebrows at the girl that nodded frantically.

"All right, Cassie, you can go to the others, but no such thing again. And don't run too far, I want to see you. All of you!" Cassie nodded and ran over to a group of seven children, all her age. Potter sat down next to him and looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Draco said and kept his look ahead to watch the children.

"You sure? You look tired." Potter's hand shot up and stroked over his hurt temple. How could this happen? Why did Potter decide to go in his park? There were seven other Royal Parks and hundreds of other small parks scattered all over London. Why his park? And why did he touch him so intimately?

"Is that… I mean, is she… is that girl your daughter?" Draco asked after a while, when his mind had registered the silence between them. But did he ask THAT? He had no right to snoop in Potter's private life.

"Cassandra?" The brunette asked and Draco could hear slight shock waver into the word. "Heaven forbid!" Draco suddenly felt lighter, almost relieved. "I love that girl, really, but I wouldn't survive one day with her mother. No, I'm her kindergarten teacher."

Malfoy knew he looked a bit daft when he stared at Potter with his mouth hanging open, but he didn't care and broke into fits of laughter. "Yes, of course." The blond chuckled. He hadn't had such a good laugh in a long time. "And what's with the dog-mask the last time? Is that part of some new innovative education method or did I just discover the saviours secret, dirty fetish?" The last part was purred in a seductive tone to tease.

But the purr stuck in his throat when he saw Potter's look. The same warmth he had seen before in brown eyes reflected now in green eyes and he finally could see the smile that had been hidden the last time. "You're beautiful when you laugh." He didn't just say that, did he?, Malfoy thought flabbergasted. "But I mean it, I'm the kindergarten teacher of the eight children you see over there."

"Muggle children?" Draco asked the first question that came to his mind, but the disbelief was still edged into his face and voice.

"Of course, how many wizards do you think would want their children in the kindergarten group of the 'saviour'?" Harry almost spat the word in disgust.

"Makes sense."

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" The girl that had hit his head with a ball, came over to them and almost fell in her enthusiasm. Potter leaned forward and caught her with ease.

"What's wrong, Cassie?" He helped the girl finding her balance and let go of her again.

"We want to play football with you. Please, Harry." The little girl asked and grabbed the brunette's hand and tried to drag him to his feet.

"I'm sorry, I can't play football with you now." The girl's face fell and her lower lip was pushed out in a cute pout. "I was about to buy Draco some ice cream."

"You what?" Draco shrieked in indignation. Cassie's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands.

"Really? Can I have some ice cream, too, please?"

"Do you think that's fair towards the others?" Harry asked, watching the blond's dumbstruck expression out of the corner of his eyes and his smile turned into a smirk.

"I… I'll get the others, yes? Then we all can have ice cream." Cassie said excitedly and ran back to the playing kids without waiting for an answer.

"Potter!" Draco growled. "What are you up to?" Harry finally allowed Draco to see the smirk on his lips, but his eyes didn't show anything nasty, only the warmth that slowly began to unsettle Draco.

"Oh, come on, Draco." When did he become 'Draco' for Potter? "I can hear the rumble of your stomach." The former Slytherin had the decency to blush. "And I can't take you out for dinner until my shift is over and I return the children back to the kindergarten."

Malfoy gapped like a fish out of the water. "What? Take out? Dinner?"

"How cute… did you just learn one-word sentences?" Draco glared daggers at Potter.

"Funny, Potter – NOT! You don't need to treat me to dinner. I'm fine on my own." Harry leaned a little closer – Draco's eyes widened in surprise – and stretched his hand out to caress Draco's slightly swollen temple once again.

"Take it as an apology for your injury."

"There's nothing injured." Draco said coldly, also he wasn't that sure about that statement anymore. He felt as if he was hallucinating, otherwise he couldn't explain Potter's behaviour or his own, that he didn't freak at Potter's touches, either.

This was all so confusing. No, 'confusing' didn't express the seriousness of the problem correctly. Draco was beyond confused.

Sunday he had met Potter. Potter had saved him, he had patched Potter's wounds up, but the prick hadn't paid him a second glance. Also, Draco had to admit, Golden Boy had been nice all the time, had even offered him the guest room and money. But today the bloke seemed to be someone else. Well, he was still Harry bloody Potter and he was sickly nice, but it seemed that he was flirting with Draco, wasn't he?

All the touching and ice cream and didn't he say something about dinner? Draco didn't want to impose on other people, not anymore since he had left everything behind three years ago, but he was horribly hungry and completely skint and there was no money in sight at the moment.

"Draco. Draco? Draaaaacoo!" Potter snapped his fingers in front of his face and the blond jerked out of his thoughts. Eight little muggle children stood in front of him and looked at him in awe. Potter sat still next to him and looked a bit worried. "You really need some food, if you get lethargic."

He scowled at Potter. "Okay, let's get going. Boys, you know what to do." The small boys nodded and each one took the hand of one girl and they lined up in twos. The kindergarten teacher took Draco's hand and pulled him from the bench. "Let's go."

The children got going and waffled happily on, mostly about what ice cream they would pick. Malfoy wound his hand out of Potter's and scowled a bit. How dare he? He walked next to Potter in silence, but it didn't seem to bother Golden Boy.

He smiled all the time, watched the eight children, but Draco could feel his eyes on him once in a while.

Harry Potter was suddenly more of a mystery than he'd already been at school and through war. The bad thing about this mystery, for Draco, was that he was intrigued by it and wanted to fathom the same.

---

They had settled down in a small café. Draco and Harry had knocked together two tables that the children could sit together and now Potter was gone to order and had left the blond alone with eight staring children. He only felt a little bit scrutinised.

Potter came back, sat down next to Draco and suddenly no one was staring anymore. Those children were only four years old and were already quite shifty. He didn't even want to think about them getting older.

"Harry?" asked the little girl that sat on the other side of Potter. She had stunning blue eyes and her dirty blond hair was lovingly plaited at the back of her head.

"Yes, sweety?" Harry asked and leaned towards the girl, when she gestured him that she wanted to whisper in his ear.

"Who's the pretty boy?" the girl tried to whisper, but failed and Draco's eyes widened noticeably. He loved compliments, but from a four year old? Besides, he wasn't pretty. He was gorgeous, handsome, stunning, maybe even beautiful if the last three years haven't strained him too much, but he definitely was not pretty.

"He's pretty, isn't he?" Harry whispered that no one except the girl heard it and she nodded enthusiastically. "Holly, it's rude not to ask him personally." The Golden Boy said louder, but winked at the girl. "But now that you've already asked…" he looked over to Draco and saw the scowl on the pale features when he grinned.

"That is my friend Draco Malfoy." The blond thanked god that he sat or he might have dropped to the floor. "He'll move into my home today."

"Really? Can I move in too?" Holly asked and her question was followed by many "Me too's?" from the other kids. The ice cream was served and the children forgot anything about their plans of moving in with their kindergarten teacher and looked instead with huge, happy grins at their respective favourite flavoured ice cream.

Harry took the chance and looked at Draco. The Slytherin had remained silent since he had announced that the blond should move in his house and it was totally unlike him. He'd thought Draco would throw a fit – a huge fit, and the silence unsettled Harry a bit.

The blond stared at him, his face not showing any emotion. He didn't even mind the plate with waffles and warm cherries the waitress had placed in front of him. Harry had decided on something more substantial than ice cream and wanted to surprise Draco, but apparently his former statement had spoiled it.

He'd wanted to laugh it away as a joke, if Draco would have freaked out, but hope at the same time that he would move in nevertheless. But this… this was new territory for him. "Draco?" he asked tentatively and wished he hadn't. Blue-grey eyes focused on him with old hatred, Harry had thought they couldn't hold anymore.

"Don't, Potter." The blond hissed. "If it weren't for eight innocent children sitting at this table I would shove one of my chair legs up your arse." Harry gulped mechanically when he noticed the honesty in the words.

"Draco, it was just a joke. I was having you on."

"DON'T!" Draco thundered and all eyes in the café turned towards him. He had jumped up in his rage and didn't care about the looks he received. "How dare you make fun of my situation?"

"Draco?" One of the girls asked cautiously and both men looked at her. "Are you mad at Harry?"

"Cassie, not now, it's…" Harry tried to silence her that Draco wouldn't yell at her, but the blond interrupted him and he sighed in defeat.

"It's okay, Potter." Malfoy said with a voice that could cut glass and Harry knew Cassie would cry if Draco would talk to her with such voice. "Yes, Cassandra, I'm mad at Po- Harry." Draco said to the small girl, but in a much warmer tone that made Harry a bit jealous.

"Harry always says that if we upset someone we should apologise and give them a hug." Draco groaned in disbelief and slumped back down in his chair. There bubbled so many emotions inside of him and he didn't know which one he should let win and surface, that he decided to be indifferent until someone triggered one of the emotions.

He saw the waffles in front of him and grabbed a fork. His hunger and appetite gone, he only ate the waffles in good sense to have eaten anything all day and kept a scowl on his face.

"Harry. Harry." Holly, the girl next to Golden Boy, whispered this time successfully. Despite his low spirits Harry leaned towards her.

"What's wrong, Hol?"

"When you've apologised to Draco, you can give him this." She pulled a red heart-shaped lollypop out of her pocket and handed it Potter. He took the lollypop and could even smile a bit at the cute gesture.

"Thank you, sweety, I'll do that."

They left the café after a while, but Draco had no chance to leave immediately and hide in the library. Two children, a boy and a girl, clutched his hands tightly and didn't want to let go, no matter how much he tried. He didn't want to yell at the children or get aggressive. He knew good enough what that could do to a child. Therefore he sighed and resigned himself into his fate and brought the children together with Potter back to their kindergarten.

"Draco, I'm really sorry." Harry tried again to apologise after they had said goodbye to the children and now stood outside the building.

"Don't call me that all the time. I don't want to hear a word anymore." The blond snarled and stepped on the pavement.

"But I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Harry called out and followed Draco. The blond spun around and looked Potter straight in the eye, for the first time he realised that they were about the same height. The Gryffindor must have had an extreme growth spurt after Hogwarts and he was brawnier than Draco, but that did he know since last Sunday night.

"You didn't mean to upset me? So, what do you call making fun of my living situation then?" Draco yelled, finally feeling the anger that had suddenly vanished inside of him earlier.

"I didn't make fun of your living situation." Harry mumbled. "I want that you move in with me." He saw the blond's eyes widen. "But when you sat completely paralyzed in the café, I thought it would be the best to dismiss it as a joke, because I thought you didn't like the idea." The saviour of the wizarding world admitted sheepishly.

"And why the bloody hell didn't you just fucking ask me if I'd move in?" Draco asked disbelievingly.

"Erm, would you like to move in with me?" Harry asked with puppy eyes.

"Of course not." Malfoy replied haughtily and held his head high, Harry's face fell and he sighed heavily.

"I kind of expected that now, but why not?"

"Potter, just think about it for a moment. Be realistic. We haven't seen each other for three years. We haven't liked each other back then, not even the war changed anything about it. We've only met four days ago, in a very strange situation. You don't know me, I don't know you and we probably hate each other still. And you want me in your house? Potter, that wouldn't work."

"Draco, I… sorry, but I won't stop calling you by your first name. You helped me a lot against Voldemort and I want to help you now. I can see that you've nowhere else to go. You wear the same clothes from Sunday night. And I think my girls would be quite happy to have you around when I'm off to work. Besides, those jerks that were after you can't find you at my house." Harry inhaled deeply. He had spoken as fast as possible to be done before Draco would explode again.

The last fact triggered something in Draco's mind. He didn't need Potter's pity or indemnification for his help in the war. That had been long ago; a closed chapter of his life. But that he could hide day and night from his ex-boss until he'd find a job to earn money and leave the country, sounded appealing. And the dogs were cute, too.

"Okay." Harry's eyes widened in a comical way and his eyebrows vanished behind his bangs.

"Really? You… you agree? That's great." Harry said and opened his arms with a broad grin on his face.

"Don't you dare hug me now!" Draco exclaimed and lifted his arms in defence, but his tone was playful. Potter dropped his arms and the blond wasn't sure if he saw a small pout on the full lips, instead of the former grin.

"Here," Harry grabbed inside his pocket and took out the lollypop. "this is for you." The Slytherin looked at the heart-shaped lollypop with his mouth slightly open. "It's from Holly. I'm supposed to give it to you when I've apologised. Draco's shock vanished quickly and he took the sweet out of Potter's hand.

"Those children are weird, Potter; Are you sure you don't rub off on them?" Harry shoved him playfully.

"Come on, let's grab some takeaway food and drive home."

Home? Draco repeated the word in his mind. Was he really going to have a home again? After three years of feeling like a guest or intruder everywhere he went or stayed. He found himself badly wishing that it would work somehow. Even with his school enemy.

--

**Please Review!!! You can do that, right? Right!**

**BTW: If you can come up with a better summary to get more readers, I'd be more than happy to read your submissions.  
**

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****


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS.** Believe me, I appreciate every single one. But no one helped me with the summary. sigh

**If you read it and you like it, please review it. )**

**-- **

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE  
**

**Beta: Chris  
**(Thank you, soooooo much)

Chapter 04

They went down the street to a small Chinese takeaway and Potter seemed to be a regular customer for he was greeted friendly with his name and the lady behind the counter asked if he wanted the usual.

Draco just went with the same that boy wonder had picked and waited until Potter paid and handed him a plastic bag with white cartons. Nervousness was eating his guts away and he didn't know why. He had lived with other people before, the last months he even had needed to share a room with three others.

Now he'd get his own room and became more nervous the closer he came to Potter's car? They went the same way back they'd come and came quickly closer to the kindergarten.

"Potter, where did you park your car?" Draco asked in mild annoyance. Even though his guts were in a vice grip of nerviness, the food smelled too good and he felt hungry again that he finally wanted to eat.

"Who said something about a car?"

"Oh." Draco said with some disappointment. "So we take the tube? Or a taxi?" he added hastily with some hope. He wasn't in the mood to ride the tube right now. Too many people, too little space, too little air. No chance to eat his meal without loosing a bit of dignity and earning a stain on his only pair of trousers.

The last crossing before the kindergarten they turned left. "Nope." Harry finally said. "No car, no taxi, no tube, only my machine." They stopped in front of a black motorcycle and Draco's eyes bulged a bit in fear.

"Are you frigging kidding me?" He screeched. "What are you? Some bad-ass motherfucking rock star?" The blond asked in faked American accent and his eyebrows scrunched together.

Harry laughed loudly that you could hear the true joy in his voice. "No, I'm a kindergarten teacher. Here, you can have my crash helmet?"

"C-crash helmet? What? Nononononono. NO, I won't ride such a mean machine." Harry laughed again. He straddled the black beauty and kicked the kickstand aside.

"Hm, I like that name, I think I'll keep it for her."

"Her?" Draco asked astounded. "Your motorcycle is female? Damn it, Potter, is everyone around you a woman? What is 'she'?" he drawled the word sarcastically. Harry turned his head around to the Slytherin that still stood next to the machine with the helmet in the one hand and their food in the other. "She is a Fireblade and now that I've introduced you, would you please finally straddle her?"

"You make that sound like I'd be doing something perverted." Draco sneered. "Did you exchange your Firebolt for a Fireblade? Here, hold this." Harry chuckled at the bad attempt of Draco to try hiding his fear behind bad humour. He took the bag out of Draco's hand that he could put the helmet on and he knew he would earn a kick in the shin if he would tell the blond that he looked damn sexy with the black helmet.

Malfoy pushed the visor down and climbed on the seat behind Potter. The brunette handed him the bag and started the engine. The sound and the vibrations sent shivers through Draco's body and he admitted silently that it felt good to feel the strength of that beast between your legs.

"Hmm, I love that sound. Okay, put your feet on the footrests and hold on tight." Nothing would have stopped him from doing that anyway. Draco wound his arms tightly around Potter's waist, the food resting on the tank, and he begged that he hadn't made a huge mistake being the pillion passenger.

Harry revved the engine, kicked in the first gear with his right foot and bombed down the momentarily empty street.

Feeling Draco flush against his back and his hands on his stomach was so much better than riding the bike alone. He wanted to drive breakneck only to feel Draco tighten his grip and cling to him in fear, but the heavy traffic of London didn't allow it. After forty minutes of stop and go in London's famous evening rush hour traffic they were out of the town and Harry used the chance to bomb again down the road with breakneck speed until they reached his house in one of London's suburbs.

He hadn't even turned off the engine when Draco let go of him, jumped from the pillion seat and tore the helmet from his head. "You did that on purpose!" The blond yelled. Harry kicked the kickstand calmly down and lifted himself from the back of the motorcycle with unintended elegance.

"You did that on purpose!" Draco growled again, miffed that Potter didn't pay him any attention. His index finger raised he went closer to the brunette and poked him with every word. "You drove like a berserk to scare me to death! The next time I'll simply apparate."

Harry smirked, knowing that Draco wasn't entirely wrong. He went over to the garage door and began searching his keys. Draco used the chance to calm his heart and looked around. The last time he had been here he hadn't seen much of Potter's neighbourhood, but now that he had the daylight on his side he saw that Potter lived in a quite posh district.

More and more facets of Potter were revealed, but that he'd turned into a snob was a bit implausible. Draco heard the garage door swing upwards. "Potter, I had no idea that…" he turned around and his jaw hit the ground. Not quite literally, but it wasn't like he hadn't tried.

In the garage stood a black, shining, well-kept Ford Mustang and Malfoy felt like screaming and fainting at the same time. "POTTER!" he yelled and the young man stopped midway on the way back to his bike. "You… you have such a nice car and force me to sit on this infernal machine?" Draco yelled outraged and got even angrier when Harry only smiled and grabbed his bike to roll it into the garage.

"Come on, Draco." The brunette said when the door was closed and he headed for the entrance door.

"Potter!" Draco growled, but followed nevertheless.

---

That was why he had agreed to this: the dogs.  
The moment Potter had opened the door, he and Draco were race down by three monsters. Harry snatched the bag out of Draco's hand and left for the kitchen leaving Draco alone, lying on his rucksack, to deal with the dogs.

He almost couldn't believe that the dogs liked him that much that they remembered him and greeted him exuberantly, after all they had snarled at him the last time. "All right, girls. Let's get some food, huh?" The word 'food' seemed to be a key-word. The she-dogs hurried through the same door, Potter had gone through before. It was another swing door and Malfoy could see the sense in it. It prevented the dogs from being locked in or out.

The blond pushed the door open, after he had gotten up from the floor, and stood in the kitchen. The centre of the kitchen was a massive oak table with chairs of the same material. Potter was done portioning the food out on two plates and now filled the bowls of the dogs.

"Take a seat. I'll be done in a moment." Draco went around the table and sat down. Potter had even thought of some white wine and Draco grabbed the already uncorked bottle from the middle of the table. He filled both glasses half-full and Potter used the moment to take his seat.

They sat across from one another and awkward silence lingered between them for a moment, only the noisy guzzling of the dogs audible.

"Let's drink to our new living community." Harry said and lifted his glass in a toast. Draco mirrored him, only hesitating and giving Potter strange looks for a moment.

They ate in silence and Draco felt uncomfortable. He was in desperate need for something to talk about without appearing too nosy and going into private details. He didn't want to question Potter like they were in an interrogation at their first evening together.

Oh god! He wanted to slam his head on the tabletop. First evening together? He was going to live here, nothing more. There was no togetherness.

Draco spotted the three dogs and grinned triumphantly at their rears. "Potter." Harry's head snapped up from his plate. He wanted to talk to Draco badly, but didn't want to push him too much on the first evening. They had time. "You need to tell me their names again. I didn't register them the last time."

Harry grinned, grateful for the chance to talk to Draco. "The tallest one is a Bullmastiff. Her name's Ammit." The dog heard her name and looked up from her bowl. "It's okay Ammit." The she-dog turned her head back to the bowl and scoffed the remainders of her food.

"That's not a usual dog-name, but it sounds nice. Does it mean something special?" Malfoy asked when Potter looked at him again. The small smile on Harry's lips made his stomach flutter.

"Uhum, it's the name of a goddess from the Egyptian mythology, also she was never worshipped but feared." Draco's eyes widened a bit in surprise and Harry took it as a sign to go on. "Ammit means 'Devourer' or 'Devourer of millions'. Humans that wanted to get into the underworld after their life was over needed to pass a test. If they failed, which was mostly because of the wrongs they had committed in their life, their hearts were fed to Ammit and their souls weren't permitted to enter the underworld but stay restless."

"You give your dog the name of a monster?" Draco asked shocked and looked over to the Bullmastiff.

"I think the name fits perfectly. She loves food and if you look at it figuratively she watches this house so that the wrong kind of people can't enter." Harry reasoned and saw that Draco nodded in understanding.

"So, eh, does that mean you're interested in Mythology?" Draco began to relax slowly. This was a conversation that wasn't too personal, but interesting nevertheless. He heard the small chuckle and looked up into shining green eyes of Potter. Talking about his dogs seemed to make him really happy.

"Oh no, I couldn't tell a god from another. I just wanted some special names for my girls that are not boringly normal and I made a find in mythologies." Harry's eyes wandered back over to the dogs that were done eating and slowly trudged over to their blankets in the corner of the kitchen, still licking their flews.

"The second is a boxer, her name's Lilith and the smallest, the black beauty over there, her name's Scylla and she's an Appenzeller Sennenhund. I got them all as puppies shortly after the war was over. At first we lived in a two room flat in the middle of London, but that was just wrong when they grew up and had no exercise. And now we're living here for almost two years already. Time goes by quickly." Harry pondered loudly.

Green eyes raked over Draco's form and he wondered again what the young man had done for the last three years. Why he had left everything behind. Even his fortune was still with his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, and Harry had no idea how Draco had survived without money when it had been so important to him while school.

His look halted at Draco's mouth and he needed to bite his lower lip not to grin maniacally. The blond, completely oblivious, poked his food on his plate and wondered about the sudden silence between them.

"Draco, you have some…" Harry pushed himself off his chair and leaned over the table. Malfoy's eyes widened when Golden Boy's hand reached towards him and he needed to suppress an eeping sound when the thumb brushed his lips and picked a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth.

"Did you forget your manners over the last three years?" Harry asked with tongue in cheek and flopped back down on his chair and ate the grain of rice.

"I… I…" Draco spluttered and felt the heat rising in his cheeks. Potter had eaten it. He. Had. Eaten. It. And he had touched his lips and he had insulted him – a bit. Malfoy coughed awkwardly and picked at his hoody to find his equilibrium back. "So, eh, what do the other names mean?" He asked hastily and Harry relished a completely flustered Draco Malfoy.

"Well," he drawled, only to tease Draco a bit longer. "for Lilith there are many, let's say, legends for lack of a better name. Back in the ancient Mesopotamia she was the demon of childbed fever. Jewish legends say that she had been the first woman for Adam, but refused to submit and sleep with Adam missionary style. She left the garden Eden for the desert and had sexual intercourse with thousands of demons per day and delivered thousands of children per day. I picked that name because Lilith is Hebraic for 'female night' and my girl is the night owl of the three. She wanders through the house in the middle of the night."

Draco's mouth stood wide open and Harry shook with suppressed laughter. Everyone he had told the meanings of the names had reacted the same, but no one had looked so cute so far.

"Scylla was a sea monster of the Greek mythology. It's said that she had once been a beautiful girl, but the sorceress Circe turned her, out of jealousy, into a monster with her body on six dog heads and twelve dog feet. She got the name from me, because she's a beauty but can become really angry."

By now Harry didn't have only Draco's attention, but also the dogs because their names were mentioned so often. They came over to the table and waited for the two men to pet them.

"You have a strange kind of humour, Potter."

"I know." The brunette said with a grin. "Back then I was in a rather dark mood, but I still think the names are perfect and my girls helped me through depressing times. But I tell you, sometimes it was a nightmare to train and housebreak them. Mione and Ron helped me a lot, but sometimes my flat looked like a battlefield."

He chuckled and saw the smile playing around Draco's lips when he ruffled Ammit under her ears. Apparently Draco doted on the Bullmastiff. "You like her best, huh?" Harry asked and wanted to kiss the other when Draco nodded sheepishly, a small blush tinting his cheeks.

"That's good, because I think she won't leave your side tonight when I'm gone. The other two neither." Malfoy listened up and looked from the dog that purred like a kitten over to Potter.

"Gone?" What did Potter mean by that? Why would he want to go out tonight? Had it, in the end, all been a trick to lull him into false safety and inform the ministry at the same time? Draco scorned himself. He needed to stop creating worst case scenarios in his head.

"Well, yes." Harry admitted sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I need to work tonight."

Draco scrunched his eyebrows in total confusion. "Work? I thought you're a kindergarten teacher."

"Well, yes, but I've a second job. How do you think I pay all this? Definitely not with my monthly paycheques as a kindergarten teacher."

Draco worked his opinion over. NOW had he reached total confusion. "I thought you were rich and only worked for fun."

Potter scratched his head again awkwardly. "Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Yes. From the money I've inherited from my parents I bought this house. The rest's in Gringotts for emergency cases. The money I inherited from Sirius I donated."

Three, four seconds ticked by before Draco realised what Potter had said. "YOU WHAT?" he yelled that the dogs looked up in alert. "The entire Black fortune?" Harry nodded numbly. "How dare you, Potter? You had no right to do that. Do you hear me? NO RIGHT!" The blond raved. "I'm part Black. I am entitled to my legal share of the Black fortune." Draco screeched and slumped back on his chair.

"I'm sorry." Harry mumbled. "I didn't know about any legal share."

"Oh really?" The blond asked sarcastically and jumped when a hand softly touched his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed Potter standing up, simply too caught up in his huff.

"Draco, I'm really sorry." Malfoy could hear the honesty, but the annoyance didn't want to leave his mind. It was his money Potter had given away. His money.

He had lived without money for the last three years; wouldn't it have been nice to have money again? Even if it just had been one-tenth of his original Malfoy heritage, it would have been more than enough for the time being.

"Come on, I'll show you your room." The warm hand left his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed that it had been rather pleasant and soothing, but now he felt cold again. Muttering something into his nonexistent beard, he pushed the chair away from the table and stood up to follow Potter out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Potter was right; the dogs didn't leave their sides and when he heard their paws tapping on the wooden stairs, he felt a smile tugging at his lips despite his momentary displeasure for Potter.

* * *

**If****you read it and you liked it, you can review it, right?**

I'd like to have the Ford Mustang. heavysigh my birthday's in about three weeks, so if anyone wants to buy it for me cough you know how to reach me. lol

**LEGEND:**

THE MOTROCYCLE: **Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade  
**172hp, 998cm³, 13.540€  
http://home.online.no/rogtrae/images/motorsykler/Honda20CBR20100020RR.jpg

THE CAR: **1967 FORD Mustang Fastback GT**  
V8/ 320hp  
http://www.all-american.de/forsale/67blgt02a.jpg

THE DOGS:  
**Bullmastiff**: http://upload. **Boxer**: http://upload. Sennenhund: http://upload. 


	5. Chapter 5

_Author note: Hello, lovely readers, thank you for giving this story another chance. I know not much has happened so far, but I promise, it will. You can ask my wonderful Beta, if you don't believe me. Thank you for your reviews. Special thanks to KEYS for the support.  
I'm sorry that the links from last chapter don't work, but FanFiction won't let me post them and I don't know how to fix the problem._

_**IF YOU READ AND YOU LIKE, PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**---  
BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA: Chris**

Chapter 05

They reached the first floor and went along the hall that opened into many rooms. At the right side stood the first door wide open and human nature forced Draco to look into the dark room. The dark wood floor was the same as the hall floor and Draco's eyes landed on the huge four poster bed.

Images of the night he had been here first time flooded his mind and he gasped. He was rooted to the spot and stared into the room. Harry heard the noise and stopped as well. He turned around and looked at Draco, who was staring into his bedroom.

The dogs stood behind the blond and looked to and fro between both young men. "I totally forgot." Draco turned his head and looked at Harry. "I totally forgot." He repeated.

"Draco?"

"I'm sorry. I totally forgot. How are your wounds?" He felt the same guilt as Sunday night and didn't even notice that he had said sorry. Harry, however, had heard it quite clearly and didn't know how to handle it. He wanted to take the concern off of Draco, also if that meant to have an angry Draco back.

He sneered at the Malfoy heir and lifted his shirt slowly. "See? Everything's fine." Draco's eyes raked over the flat chest and found nothing more then small bruises. No scars, nor scab, everything was smooth and almost flawless. Harry watched Draco closely and smirked at the open display of admiration.

"I told you it would heal in short time."

"That's not possible." Malfoy whispered and gnawed at the side of his lower lip. Draco knew that statement could be adapt to two different thoughts in his head. For one thing he simply couldn't believe that such severe wounds could heal in so short time. Maybe Potter had, after all, visited a hospital yet, a magical one.

For another thing Draco was completely stunned that Potter's body could look even better than Sunday night. But here he stood, with his shirt lifted, giving Draco a very good reason to rectify his opinion. His eyes wandered slowly upwards and met with Potter's orbs. The smirk threw him out of his stupor and he growled at Potter.

"You can put you shirt back on." He wanted to wipe that superior grin from Golden Boy's face, but he had been caught staring and actually the brunette had every right to crow. "It's good that your wounds healed so quickly." Draco added in a much softer tone. He was relieved indeed, but he wouldn't forget this. He would find out what had happened that the wounds weren't existent anymore.

"And now I'd like to see my room." He said in a sickly sweet voice, when he had filed the problem away in his mind for later. Harry nodded and went to the second door on the left side. He twisted the key in the lock and pushed the handle down.

"Tada!" he introduced the guestroom and pushed the door open. With one move of his hand the ceiling light came on and lightened the room properly.

"Do you always lock the doors of your rooms?" Draco asked suspiciously and stepped over the threshold. Harry leaned against the door frame and Draco needed to walk past him to get into the room. He smelled of aftershave and Chinese food and wine and cold smoke. Was he smoking?

"No, only the rooms I don't use often. The dogs know how to open a door, but not how to get out again, if the door clicks shut. Since I was more than once worried sick because one of my girls was missing, just because she was nosy, I thought this was the safest. Downstairs every room has swing doors, and here on the first floor the doors are either locked or wide open when no one's in the room."

The room was rather nice, Draco acknowledged, and if you've lived like he had for three years this room was more than nice, it was a luxury. The floor was the same as in the rest of the house. Dark wood.

Of course, it wasn't that big as Potter's, but a reasonable size for a guestroom. The bed was a usual double-bed with a black metal frame and the walls were white, except for the wall behind the head of the bed, that was a pleasant dark grey. Maybe it was a pattern in this house to colour one wall in every room differently than the others.

The wall across from the door was lined with a huge three-winged window with double-crossbars. Draco went over to the window and could see the street lightened by lanterns in the darkness. He pulled the hangings shut and turned around. Golden Boy sent him a questioning look, but he only answered with a small shrug.

He didn't want to see the darkness of the night. Not now, when he could be in a house full of lamps and warmth. A wardrobe and an escritoire were the only pieces of furniture beside the bed, both in dark, almost black wood.

Harry pushed off the doorframe where he had remained silent when Draco opened the bathroom door that was at the wall of the bed, but rather close to the entrance.

"If you'd like to take a bath you can use my bathroom." He said when Draco switched on the light. It was a small bathroom with a shower and everything else necessary. The tiles were a pale green, the floor tiles were a darker green and at the end offered a window the same view to the street like the window in the guest room.

Across from the door was another door and Draco's curiosity pulled him directly towards the door. It was locked. "That's only the door to the other room, but I never use it, because I never use this bathroom." Harry explained and Draco tried to tell him with his brows that he wanted to know what was behind the door.

The brunette chuckled and made, again, a small move with his hand. The door opened, the light went on and Draco could see the exercise room of Harry Potter. "Ah, oh well…"

The lights went off and the door closed again. "What?" Harry asked with amusement. "Did you expect something else?" They went out of the bathroom. "Maybe something more naughty?" Harry purred and closed the bathroom door.

"Oh, shut up." Draco protested, with his cheeks burning.

"Whatever." Boy-wonder relented and watched Draco throw his rucksack on the bed. The dogs were still busy to sniffle into every corner for they haven't been in the room in a while. "Of course can we redecorate when we've gotten all your gubbins."

Draco's hands stopped where they had traced the bedspread and a frown showed up on his face. He looked up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Potter, I don't know if you've already forgotten, but I'm homeless, I've nothing more than the things I wear." Despite the depressing information, he couldn't suppress the usual Malfoy smirk appearing on his lips. Only Potter could awake a habit that had slept for almost three years.

Harry winced and moaned in mental agony that he'd been so stupid.

"I know, usually homeless people have a caravan following them, but I'm not one of them." Draco teased with relish.

"Yes, Malfoy, twist the knife. Twist it. I'm sorry, okay? I forgot it for a moment." Draco couldn't suppress the laugh that erupted in him, when he all of a sudden was again Malfoy for Potter. So, he could get under Potter's skin with other things than insults.

"Whatever." Harry said again and Draco wondered if it was, because he didn't feel comfortable at the moment or because it was a favourite word of his. "I'll get you one of my pyjamas now and then I'll have to go. Come on, girls, let's give Draco some alone time." Harry whistled and the dogs followed obediently to the door.

"Actually…" Draco said quietly. "I wouldn't mind them staying here." No, he wouldn't mind at all. To tell the truth, he had felt panic rising in his chest when Potter had said that he would be left alone now and he had to press his nails in his palms to focus on the sentence without squeaking or trembling. He had no idea that he was so scared of loneliness.

"Okay, if you think you can handle them." Harry said, grinning and he didn't sound suspicious about Draco's plea. Maybe he hadn't heard the silent plea in Draco's words or seen in his entire being. He left the room and came back quickly with a dark blue pyjama. The fabric was fluffy and soft between Draco's fingers.

"I'm off now. I'll lock the door. I don't know when I'll be back. Bye!" And with that Harry Potter left the guest room, Draco's room, again and hurried down the stairs, Scylla hot on his heels. Malfoy felt a bit relieved that Potter had told him on his own that he didn't know when he'd be back.

He would have asked if he had needed to, he really would, albeit grudgingly. But knowing that Potter would be gone for an unknown time brought another problem along – loneliness. Ammit came to his side and he buried his right hand under her right ear automatically.

Draco heard the garage door slide open and dragged the Bullmastiff over to the window. Lilith remained on the small rectangular carpet on the right side of the bed. He pulled the hangings slightly apart and looked out. Potter rolled his motorcycle out of the garage and Draco couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips.

Bloody Potter wore a black leather combi suit and his black helmet with the dark visor. Was there anything more appealing than a handsome man in a motorcycle combi suit? Draco crouched quickly when Potter turned around to close the garage door. He didn't want to be seen watching. He heard the garage door close, waited a bit longer and peeked over the windowsill.

The saviour of the wizarding world sat already on his bike and Draco heard the deep roar of the engine. Yes, handsome men in riding suits were appealing, especially their behinds were eye-catching, Draco thought when Potter drove away into the night, and if he looked that good in dim light what a sight would it be by broad daylight?

---

After about twenty minutes Harry pulled his machine over, but left the engine running. He pulled off his gloves and rested them on the tank before he opened the zipper of his riding suit jacket and pulled out a pack of fags. He lit one and inhaled the smoke deeply, before putting the pack back in his inside pocket.

The day had been stressful, even though in a good kind of way, but he needed this now to come down again. The excitement he felt about Draco moving in with him, needed to be calmed as well.

"Draco." He murmured and glided his tongue over his lips before taking another deep drag.

Potter wondered what the blond was doing right now. Images shot through his mind and he groaned mildly. Oh yes, this enthusiasm would help him tonight. With a smirk on his lips he flipped the smoke to the ground and stepped on it with his heavy biker boots.

He reached again in his open jacket and pulled out his dog-mask this time. The street was remote and he could put on the mask without any witnesses. He slipped it over his head, pushed the strands of hair under the leather and closed the zipper.

"Draco." He murmured again and the corners of his lips curved upwards. The mask didn't affect or bother him at all. He had worn it so often already that it was something natural to feel the cold leather warming on your face.

He looked into the rear-view mirror of his motorcycle and was greeted by a dog-face with warm brown eyes. The spell worked still. Closing the zipper and pulling on his gloves, he revved the engine and kicked in the first gear.

---

Potter was gone and Draco's mind began working again. Instantly appeared rosy spots on his cheeks and he slammed his head in his palm – hard. Ammit looked at him and he heard Scylla bluster up the stairs, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

He had watched Potter like a secret stalker. He actually had hidden to watch Potter. AND to put the lid on it he'd called Potter handsome and had admired his arse - again. He had hit rock bottom in his own opinion.

Maybe this hadn't been the right decision after all. Maybe this would bring more stress for his battered soul than staying on the streets. He didn't know. He knew nothing. Not why he was here. Not where Potter was going. Not what he should do now.

Spotting the neatly folded pyjama on the bed, Draco let go of Ammit, what brought him a whimper of protest, and stood up from the ground. Having a shower and slipping into fluffy pyjamas after sounded like the perfect plan. He pulled his hoodie sweater over his head and a clattering sound caught his attention.

The lollypop, Potter had given him, lay on the floor and Draco rolled his eyes. Stupid Potter. He picked the lollypop up and lay it on the pyjama. He could eat the sweet, it was from the small girl, not from Potter. Fine, he would even eat it if it had been coming from Potter, but no one needed to know that sweets were his weakness.

He pulled off his shoes, socks and jeans and went, only in his boxers, over to the bathroom. The light came to life when he pushed the switch. He lowered the blinds and pulled a white fluffy towel from a rack. Draco looked over to the door where Ammit stood and Lilith peeked through her legs.

"Do you really want to watch me take a shower?" Draco asked and chuckled. He went over to the door, but Ammit pressed her snout against the door that he couldn't close it. "Fine, if you want a peep show." He called Scylla and closed the door. "But don't complain later on."

Draco stepped out of his boxers and let the dogs settle down in front of the door. He opened the glass door of the shower, stepped inside and opened the taps. Maybe it wasn't that bad to have the dogs in the same room. He was certain that he couldn't have relaxed that much if he had been alone in the bathroom.

Didn't it sound weird that he could relax more with audience watching him shower than doing it in solitude?

He stepped out of the shower, towelled himself and wrapped the towel around his waist. With a small towel he rubbed his hair dry that it was completely dishevelled. While shooing the dogs away from the door he tried to press his hair down with one hand and opened the door with the other.

Malfoy listened and everything was quiet. Potter wasn't back yet, but he hadn't expected him back quickly anyway.

The pyjama felt wonderful on his skin and he wished he had more clothes that felt good. No, he wouldn't wallow now in self-pity. He knew that he have had lots and lots of clothes before, but like the times of war, that was a closed chapter of his life.

Draco pulled the bedspread back and flapped the blanket back of 'his' bed, before noticing the restlessness of the dogs. He was almost anxious to sleep in such a nice bed. "What's wrong, girls? Ammit?" The Bullmastiff looked up, but didn't stop to walk to and fro.

"I think I know what's wrong." The blond said with a knowing smile. He grabbed the lollypop from the bedside table, where he'd put it before preparing his bed and switched on the bedside lamp. He went to the door, switched off the ceiling lightning and whistled for the dogs that followed willingly.

Malfoy unwrapped the lollypop and sucked it into his mouth. He hummed in delight when he tasted the cherry flavour. "Hurm, Potter, must have a garden. What's a house without a garden?" He wasn't sure if he asked himself or the dogs, but when he reached the ground-storey he stopped in the hall, looking at the swing doors.

"Which one would you take, girls?" He asked in good humour and decided to try the door that didn't lead to the kitchen. Switching on the light, he noticed the sitting room and saw the huge windows that lead out to the garden – hopefully.

He opened the patio door and the terrace light lit up automatically. The dogs stormed around him out into the night and he leaned against the frame. Looking around the room he saw a fireplace and thought that this was maybe the room he had apparated to the first time with Potter.

A comfy and squashy looking sofa and armchairs were arranged around a coffee table and a huge telly hung on the wall across. The sitting room suite needed to be a bit older already, as he couldn't smell the leather anymore, but that was fine with him, he never had liked that smell much.

"Scylla, Lilith, Ammit." The dogs came back into the house, after he had called them a second time and thanked god that it was dry outside. He had no idea how Potter would react if the dogs would leave a mess with their dirty paws.

With the lollypop still in his mouth he went around the sofa, pushed the power button on the telly and flopped down on the sofa. The remote control lay on the coffee table and he began channel hopping, until he found some silly cartoon that wouldn't scare him.

---

Harry opened the front door quietly. The moment he'd driven around the corner he'd seen the house still brightly lighted, also it was around two in the morning, and he wondered if Draco was awake. He had seen the dim light shining behind the hangings of his room, but the sitting room was lighted, like the halls as well.

The dogs came quietly out of the sitting room, as though they had sensed it was him and stormed over to him when their eyes affirmed their senses. Potter petted them affectionately for a moment, like they deserved it in his opinion, before he stood up and went over to the sitting room.

He had taken off the dog-mask and his combi suit jacket which was wrapped around his hips. Beneath he wore a former white long sleeved tee-shirt that was by now almost everywhere drenched in red liquid. His heavy biker boots clonked on the wood floor and he pulled them off before entering the sitting room.

The telly was running and some annoying music video flickered across the screen. Fortunately the volume was turned down enough that Harry didn't need to hear much of the gruesome singing of a woman that jumped partly naked through her video.

Harry's eyes landed on Draco's sleeping form and he smiled. The Slytherin had curled up on the sofa and was oblivious to his surrounding. He shifted a bit and Harry saw the empty stick of the lollypop in Draco's hand. Nothing in the world could have stopped him when he went closer to the sofa and stroked gently over the very soft blond hair. It was the complete opposite to his own, like everything else of the both.

One was light, the other dark. One was black, the other white. One was day, the other night. Harry knew that it was true, but he couldn't tell who was what.

He went around the sofa, sat down on the coffee table and watched Draco's sleeping face for a short moment. He could see the exhaustion of the Malfoy heir in every so small line, but yet he hadn't forfeit any of his beauty. He was older, yes, but this very special Malfoy beauty was still there, if not even stronger than before.

Harry cast a protection spell on Draco that his pyjama would stay clean and scooped him carefully up in his arms. Malfoy felt too light for his size and he hoped it would change soon. He didn't like his lovers skinny beyond unhealthy. Besides it wasn't that sexy if a sharp hipbone pocked into your own while sex.

The brunette chuckled at the mental image of them fussing around in the bed and Draco moaned and stirred in his arms when he climbed the stairs.

"Ssshh." he admonished the dogs that followed quietly although he had been the marplot.

The door of Draco's room stood wide open and Harry saw that the bed was already waiting for its new owner. He put the blond gently down and pulled the blanket over his body.

"Ammit, you'll sleep here tonight." As though the dog had understood him, she slumped down on the rug at the side of Draco's bed and rested her head on her crossed front paws. Harry looked again at Malfoy's sleeping face. He leaned over the blond, wiped with the back of his hand the blood from his cracked lower lip and kissed Draco's forehead gently.

"Good night, sleep tight." He whispered and turned the light on the bedside table out. The other two dogs followed him out of the room and he left the door ajar.

Harry stumbled into his own room and peeled himself out of his riding suit. Before he could fall into his own bed, he would take a shower now, wash and clean his wounds, heal his wounds and conceal them. Then he would turn off all lights in the house, fortunately with only one swish of his hand and could sleep for some hours, before he would get up again in the morning and drive to work. His usual routine after one night of fun.

---  
_Author note: So? What do you think so far? I know, I bring up more questions than I resolve, but I'll get to that. Promise. __**REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED!**_

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

_SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I won't even try to make excuses.  
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I cherish every single one and can't wait to get more._

PLEASE REVIEW!

---  
**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA: Chris**

Chapter 06

Draco jerked out of his dream and sat bold upright. His wide open eyes took in the surroundings that his sleep addled mind couldn't process quickly enough for his own liking.

"Where am I?"

The room was darkened but the hangings of the window gapped open and sunlight flooded through the small split. Wet sandpaper was dragged over his right hand and he jerked his hand to his body.

Blue-grey eyes looked hastily from the window to his right side. "Ammit, what…" And all of a sudden he remembered where he was. Potter's house; the guest room; the dogs. "Ew… Ammit, look you drooled all over my hand." He complained playfully, but stroked the underside of the Bullmastiff's snout.

When did he go to bed last night? He was downstairs with the dogs, had watched some cartoons and music videos…

"Bloody fucking hell!" He exclaimed and fell back on his pillow, only to pull the blanket all over his face. The she-dog tilted her head and watched Malfoy when he mumbled curses into the blanket. Suddenly he threw the blanket back and Ammit made one step back. "Don't tell me Potter carried me up here."

Is there something more embarrassing than being carried up the stairs by none other than Harry bloody Potter? Of course you could make it even worse by being named Draco Malfoy. He wouldn't be able to look Potter in the eye anymore. Maybe he could stay in this room forever. He had a bed, a toilet, a shower, a … his stomach rumbled loudly… but he had no food.

Draco sighed miserably. He couldn't stay in this room forever. Besides, Potter had been so adamant last night that he ate properly that Draco had the slight suspicion that Potter wouldn't allow him to starve in his room. Pity.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. Ammit began running around and barked joyfully and her tail didn't want to stop wagging. She snatched the corner of his pyjama jacket with her teeth and pulled, but very cautiously. "Hey, hey." Draco said with a broad smile. "Calm down, love. At least let me use the loo before we face my downfall."

When he came back out of the bathroom, the Bullmastiff waited for him already at the door and pushed her snout into the gap between door and frame and opened the door for herself. Draco watched her and knew that no one could change his mind; for him dogs were brilliant in every way and considerably smarter than some humans he had met so far.

He didn't even need to press his ear against the kitchen door to hear the bustle behind it. Draco took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and pushed the door very slowly open, His eyes cast to the ground, to avert eye contact as long as possible, he went into the kitchen.

"Morning, Potter." He mumbled reluctantly.

"Ah, good morning. You must be Mr Malfoy, Mr Potter mentioned in his note for me."

Draco jumped at the unexpected high voice. Not Potter's deep rasp, but a female voice. He spun around and looked at a small woman of about forty-five years that looked like the perfect figurehead for a cookie factory.

"Eh, yes, good morning." Draco mumbled and didn't look away from her when she turned away from the cooker and looked at him with a warm, friendly smile.

"I'm Mrs McTurner, Mr Potter's housekeeper."

Draco's sleepy eyes opened wide in astonishment. "He has no elves?" The moment he had said it, he felt horribly stupid. His hand clasped over his mouth and he wanted to slam his head against the kitchen wall. What if this woman didn't know about wizards and elves and magic?

What, if Potter had chosen a muggle not to get a lunatic fan into his house? He needed to obliviate her. Quickly.  
But his wand was upstairs, safely tucked in his rucksack. Perfect.  
Maybe he could Accio it? Everyone, no matter how daft, could accio their wands, so it should be nothing for Draco.

He took his hand from his mouth and checked quickly for the woman. Maybe he needed to knock her out before he could cast the spell, if he'd taken too long weighing his options and she was already freaking.

Contrary to the visions his vivacious imagination had given him, the woman stood still, her hands resting on her stomach. "No need to panic, dear." How did she know he was a bit panicky? Maybe his huge, frantic eyes had betrayed him. Damn! "I know about house-elves. I'm a squib and Mr Potter mentioned in his note that you're a wizard like he is."

Draco could only nod numbly. With the reason to panic gone, he felt a bit empty for a moment.

"How about a nice cup of coffee or would you like some tea?" Mrs McTurner asked in a sweet voice. Draco pulled out a chair and sat down at the dinner table.

"Tea would be great." She nodded and turned back around to prepare the tea and was quickly by his side, putting a big cup in front of him.

"Would you like to eat something, Mr Malfoy?" Draco screwed his face up when he brought the cup to his mouth and blew softly. She sounded like she was talking to his father. He wasn't Mr Malfoy, Lucius was, he was just Draco or for some people Malfoy, but never Mr.

He could tell her to call him Draco, but that would probably inevitably result in calling her by her first name. He didn't want to call her Margaret or whatever her first name was. He didn't call people he didn't know by their first names. Hell, he rarely called people he knew by their first names.

Draco sighed, it was only morning and he had already given himself a head ache. "Thank you, but no. I'm happy with my tea." She nodded, but didn't look pleased and went back to the cooker to prepare… Draco looked up and tried to spy anything helpful. It smelled really good, but he couldn't tell what he smelled. He leaned to the side, out of the chair, to look around her and almost fell out of the chair when Mrs McTurner talked to him again, but with her back to him.

"Mr Potter won't be back until tea and he asked me to help you pick some clothes out of his wardrobe for you and he told me to give this to you." She turned around while talking and bustled quickly over to hand Draco a small letter.

The blond took the letter out of reflex and nodded his thanks numbly. How dare Potter; telling someone to help him choose clothes? Living on the streets doesn't mean you loose fashion sense, he thought bitterly. The blond sipped his tea and unfolded the letter to read.

'_Good morning, sunshine.'  
_  
Potter just hadn't called him sunshine. No! Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He definitely needed to talk with Potter about this.

'_Don't be mad at me that I asked Mrs McTurner to help you with clothes. It's just that I know if I didn't ask her you wouldn't take any clothes from me. Just pick what you like, I don't mind. I hope you know spells to resize, otherwise I can do it when I'm back around five._

_I hope you slept the first night well in your new bed. P'  
_  
Did he really put a stupid muggle smiley behind that sentence? Draco tightened his grip on the letter. Potter was taking the mickey out of him, wasn't he?

'_I hope you can entertain yourself until I'm back. Dunno, maybe go for a walk with the girls or maybe there's a book in my bedroom you like and you know how the telly works, eh? )'_

Again this goddamn smiley. ARGH! He was really teasing him.

'_All right, see you this afternoon.  
Oh, and you can call Mrs McTurner Margaret. I think she wouldn't mind.  
Bye, Harry'_

Draco's hand went slack and the cup crashed down to the floor, scattering all over the floor in thousand tiny porcelain shards. Her name was really Margaret? That couldn't be true. He had only been kidding.

"Oh my, are you okay, dear? What happened?" Mrs McTurner asked, he could hear the shock in her voice.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm sorry." Draco stammered when he pushed the chair back.

"Don't you dare move now!" The woman called and Draco froze in his movements. "You're barefoot. Wait, until I've swept up the shards."

The blond slumped back down on his chair and waited. He couldn't believe it. This woman's name was really Margaret? And Potter was teasing him. He would never let him live it down that he'd carried him up the stairs. And where the hell were the dogs?

Draco looked around and saw them all three lying in their corner, dozing. Hadn't they even flinched at the sound of the crashing cup? Weird dogs.

"Mr Malfoy, are you feeling well?" Mrs McTurner asked and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes, yes. I'm really sorry, because of the cup."

The housekeeper just smiled and shrugged it off. "No need, dear. It was just a cup, there are plenty. I'm just relieved that you didn't cut yourself. What do you think about taking a look at Mr Potter's wardrobe?"

Draco felt his cheeks warm in a mixture of embarrassment and comfort. She was trying to mother him, wasn't she? He nodded and stood up from the chair and suddenly the dogs were on their feet as well.

"Oh, they never do that when I leave the kitchen." The woman said and Draco bit the inside of his cheek not to smirk in delight.

They went up the stairs as a group and Draco almost hoped to find Potter still in his bed when Mrs McTurner opened the bedroom door of course, only to give Potter a piece of his mind about the letter. The room was so dark that you really could be tempted to believe Potter was still asleep, but the housekeeper switched on the light and Draco's… no, no it weren't hopes… presumptions were deflated.

"Mr Potter never allows me to pull the hangings back." Said Mrs McTurner, when she went through the room to the huge wardrobe, like she wanted to apologise for the dark room. Draco didn't mind and followed her mutely. He saw her pulling a piece of paper out of a pocket of her pinny and unfold it. She scanned it for a moment and looked up at Draco, who was almost three heads taller than her.

"Basically Mr Potter says to pick everything from underclothing through trousers and pullovers to a warm winter coat." The woman nodded as though she agreed with Potter's instructions. Draco was dumbfounded, the nerve Potter had, Draco was no bloody dress doll.

Mrs McTurner grabbed a handle on the right side of the wardrobe and pulled a narrow door open. Draco scrunched up his eyebrows, but they rose to his hairline, when the housekeeper pushed the rest of the door to the other side of the wardrobe and folded it like a concertina.

"Mr Potter has a little weakness for clothing." Margaret said with an amused smile when she saw the astonishment written all over Draco's face. Little my arse, Draco thought. The wardrobe was bursting with clothes. He felt in bloody paradise. The blond made one step forward and let his hand glide over the soft fabric of one suit.

At the left side was a shelf with neatly folded tee-shirts and pullovers and three big drawers at the bottom. Probably for underwear, socks, belts and ties, Draco thought. Next to the shelf was a horizontal metal bar that seemed to struggle against gravity with all the clothes it had to bear. Suit followed suit. Jeans, trousers, shirts, jackets, everything was neatly hung on hangers in a seemingly endless row.

At the right end side of the wardrobe was another narrow shelf filled with a good dozen of pairs of shoes, mostly trainers, but also elegant pairs. The most shocking was a pair of handmade shoes; they must have cost a fortune. Draco only noticed them because back in his old life he had had a pair similar to this one. That was what good handmade shoes characterised: You did notice them only as special when you had a pair yourself.

"Mr Potter wrote explicitly to let you choose whatever you like and that I'm only here to make sure that you really take something." Mrs McTurner's voice shook Draco out of his musings and he nodded in understanding.

"But what are his favourite clothes that I won't choose them?" He asked, although he couldn't believe that he and Potter would have the same taste in style, but he hadn't thought that Potter had a fashion fetish either.

"I don't know dear. He didn't mention pieces that you're not allowed to take, Would you mind if I'd hurry down for a moment to look after dinner?"

"No, it's okay." Draco turned back to the wardrobe and sighed. He didn't know what to do now. Should he restrain himself or enjoy this like shopping? He decided to pick the embarrassing things while the housekeeper wasn't around – the underwear. He sat down in front of the drawers and pulled the first open.

Ties and Belts were neatly coiled and put in separate cases, nothing he needed right now. Draco pulled the second drawer open and found the socks and Potter's underwear. A small blush crept up his neck when he looked into the drawer. He felt like a panty pervert. He gulped nervously and picked one of the neatly folded pants. Potter preferred boxer-briefs and Draco was more than okay with that.

Malfoy heard Potter's housekeeper on the stairs. He picked quickly some boxer-briefs and pairs of socks and closed the drawer just as quick. Mrs McTurner came back into the bedroom and he tried to open the last drawer, but it was locked. "Mrs McTurner, do you know what's in the last drawer?"

"No, dear. It's always locked, but I think you'll find everything necessary nevertheless, won't you? Do you need my help otherwise I'd sit down for a moment." Draco turned around and shook his head. Mrs McTurner sat down on the chaise lounge in the reading corner and watched him with contentment.

Draco jerked again at the locked drawer. He whispered a wandless unlocking spell, but nothing happened. Well, this arose his curiosity. Did Potter hide his dirty little secrets in there? Or his favourite sex toys? He felt _something_ stir in his pyjama pants at that thought and he jumped up in a hurry.

No, no, NO! He wasn't interested in Potter's sex life. He didn't need to know about any perversity of Potter's. His nether regions didn't agree with him and he groaned loudly.

"Mr Malfoy, are you all right?"

Blimey! He had for a moment totally forgotten that there was someone else with him in the bedroom. "Yes, thank you, I'm fine. I just stood up too fast and felt a bit giddy." He couldn't look at her. His cheeks were probably burning in embarrassment and… he looked down… yep, he was half-hard.

"Maybe you should eat something after all." She said and Draco could hear her rustle on the chaise lounge. If she would come over now he would likely will the floor to open up and swallow him.

"Yes, maybe you're right, Mrs McTurner. I'll just finish this and then I'll eat something."

"Very well." She seemed to agree to that promise and Draco focused quickly on the clothes in front of him not to think of Potter and… no, that word was taboo.

The suits he left right away untouched. There was no need for anything posh and for the first time he realised that there were no robes. Did Potter turn his back on the wizarding world? Anything else would make no sense, would it?

He quickly picked two jeans, two hoodies, three tee-shirts and a thick looking jacket, before he spotted a warm scarf and threw it on the small pile as well. He turned around to Potter's bed, where he'd made the small pile and smirked. Everything he'd chosen was black and he hadn't even realised. But did he bother? No. He loved black.

Draco closed the wardrobe door and gathered his, eh Potter's, clothes in his arms. "Are you already done?" Mrs McTurner asked confused and heaved her body form the chaise lounge. "Don't you think that's a bit too little?"

The blond went out the door and over to his room. "It's more than I have had for a long time." He called back to the woman. He was almost giddy with excitement about the clothes and it were only borrowed hand-me-downs.

"Mr Malfoy? Mr Malfoy?" Margaret called, her voice rising in pitch and volume while calling him a second time. Draco sighed and poked his head out of the door.

"Yes?" He tried to sound friendly. It wouldn't be smart to upset Potter's housekeeper, if he intended to stay here for longer.

"Please come down after you've dressed. I'll prepare lunch for you."

"Lunch? Isn't that a bit early?" The blond wondered.

"Mr Malfoy, it's one o'clock. You slept rather long." She smiled amused and turned around and went down the stairs. Draco saw the dogs coming out of Potter's bedroom and all three came over to his room and he left them in. He hadn't known he'd slept that long and that comfortable.

---

He had eaten – reluctantly, but he had eaten and Mrs McTurner seemed satisfied, at least she didn't threaten him anymore with seconds. When he had come down from his room, fully clothed in his new clothes, he'd thought they'd have guests, but Margaret had told him in all honesty that everything was for him, because he looked so thin and pale and that he needed to be pampered for a while. Draco was only slightly scared – that's what he told himself.

If she was stubborn enough and wouldn't back off, Draco was certain he'd suffer a beach ball belly and look like a stranded sea cow in about two weeks. That was unacceptable, simply out of question. He wouldn't ruin his figure for something so rudimentary as food and loose his only chance to maybe impress Po…

Draco whimpered paltry in the back of his throat. The last thought was as unacceptable as too much food.

Mrs McTurner put a huge dessert in front of him and Malfoy felt his upper lip twitch in disgust. The housekeeper cast him a worried look. "Something wrong, dear?"

"Yes, Mrs McTurner, I'm just full. I don't think I can eat dessert, I'd rather go for a walk with the dogs." That was a great idea. He'd get away from all the food for a while.

"Oh, okay, Mr Malfoy." The woman said, sounding a bit dejected. "I'll get you the leashes, but if you go out the garden gate and use the track, you can leave them unleashed. The track's only used by residents and their dogs get along with Scylla, Ammit and Lilith."

Draco nodded and hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs while Mrs McTurner got the leashes. He grabbed Potter's, now his, trainers, a hoody and the scarf he had picked and hurried down again.

The dogs were already waiting at the patio door of the kitchen, with Mrs McTurner by their side, the leashes in her hand. Draco hastily put on the trainers and the hoody and wrapped the muffler around his neck.

"Don't you want to put on some more?" Draco sighed. She was behaving like his mother.

"No, I'm used to it." He took the leashes out of her hand and opened the patio door. The dogs ran out into the garden and barked euphorically.

"But it looks like rain."

"We won't be long. Bye Mrs McTurner." Draco said sweetly and closed the patio door quickly, before the woman had another problem with anything he did, said, wore or looked.

He opened the garden gate and the dogs stormed out as though they had a chance to escape a gaol. The track looked really quite for an afternoon. Draco looked up and saw the dark clouds forming above his head. Oh damn it, who cares, it would be only water.

"Ammit, Scyla, Lilith." He called out to make sure the dogs obeyed. All three came running after a moment and he petted them contently, but sent them off again to romp.

---

_I know, I know, the chapter wasn't that brilliant. But I promise (without crossing my fingers behind my back) that chapter seven will be juicy! Word of honour!_

_Okay, now I'll wait for your reviews. Tehe.  
ZooArmy_

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **Rights to the songs belongs to the respective artists (please see bottom).** Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

Author notes:  
1. THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I know the last chapter wasn't that spectacular, but I hope the new one will make up for it. So, tell me what you think, yeah?  
2. The lyrics I've mentioned in this chapter are not important for the content. I only used them to imply the atmosphere that builds by the music.  
3. I gave livejournal another chance, even though I don't know for how long. If you're on lj as well and would like to add me to your friends list please check out my profile for my lj name.  
4. HAPPY EASTER!

* * *

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA: Chris**

Chapter 07

Harry opened the door at three o'clock and was greeted by an eerie silence he wasn't used anymore. He had decided to come home earlier than he'd said that Draco wouldn't be alone so long, but now he was alone.

No dogs were greeting him and he felt like living alone in the house. Creepy.

"Draco?... Ammit?... Scylla?... Lilith?" His voice got more suspicious with every new called name and no one responding to his calls.

"Ah, hello, Mr Potter." The housekeeper came out of the kitchen and greeted him good-humoured. "I was just about to leave for today." She opened the door of a closet and pulled her jacket from a hanger.

"Margaret, where's everybody?" Harry asked, hoping to quench this queasy feeling that build up in his stomach.

"Oh, Mr Malfoy took the dogs for a walk an hour ago. I think he'll be back soon." Mrs McTurner said, when she wrapped her scarf around her neck and fastened up her jacket. Potter sighed in relief and smiled to himself. He hadn't thought that the dogs would adapt so easily to Draco. That was good.

"Did he pick some clothes?" He could ask now that more important matters were cleared out.

"Oh yes, he did, but I think he felt rather uncomfortable. He picked too little, in my opinion and he needed to shrink them a lot, he's so slender, almost frail, but he did a good job with that shrinking."

Harry grinned. Everyone was slender and frail in Margaret's opinion, unless they weighed two-hundred-twenty pounds at 4'5''. The grin on his face faltered and he looked with a serious expression at his housekeeper.

"Did you see him change?" The brunette asked soberly, trying to keep his emotions out of the question. Mrs McTurner didn't seem to mind the odd question and shook her head lightly when she went over to the door.

"No, he picked a small pile of clothes and vanished again in his room, before he came down for lunch." She spun around one last time and looked at Harry with determination. "He needs to eat more. He can't just live from tea. He didn't want to eat until he felt woozy."

Harry's look darkened at this piece of information. Hadn't he just said last night that he didn't like his lovers too skinny? Draco would get a piece of his mind when he was back.

"I wish you and Mr Malfoy a nice weekend." Mrs McTurner said when she opened the door.

"The same to you, Margaret. See you on Monday." Harry said with a small smile and held the door wider open for the woman. He closed the door behind his housekeeper and leaned heavily against the door.

Maybe he'd imagined everything a bit too easy. He'd really thought that Draco would love to 'shop' in his wardrobe, but seemingly the grudge against him, Harry Golden Boy Potter, was still too deep settled in him.

Did he always eat so little, or did he just deny food, because it was 'Potter's food'? Harry slammed his fist against the entrance door and cursed unimaginative. All this wasn't going fast enough in Harry's opinion. He had almost gone crazy over the last days, since he had seen Draco and the git had fled his house quickly.

He wanted Draco and he wanted him now. It was the first time that he would want to abuse his saviour status for his own advantage to get what he wanted. But exactly this time, when he was ready to trespass his own oaths, it wouldn't help him the least. Draco abominated the Golden Boy image, even though he'd played a decisive role in the whole war-show-down- ordeal to let Harry come out as winner.

Harry pushed off the door and went into the sitting room. He took a large floor vase and used it as a doorstopper that the swing door stood wide open, before he went to a shelf to the left of the flat-screen. His hand reached automatically for the right cd and he went over to his hi-fi system that stood on the floor to the right of the swing door.

The brunette kneeled down and pushed the power button. He took one cd out of the cd-changer and put the new one in. He pushed the play-button and cranked up the volume. A strange electronic sound filled the entire house for a moment, before a bass-drum started and a male voice began singing that sent shivers down your back.

_Tell me exactly what am I supposed to do - Now that I have allowed you to beat me - Do you think that we could play another game - Maybe I could win this time_

Harry left the sitting room and went the stairs up to his bedroom. The song grew heavier when the rest of the drum set, guitar and bass-guitar set in and the man's voice turned angrier. The bedroom door stayed open as well and Harry began to undress. He opened his wardrobe and picked out some clean clothes. If Mrs McTurner hadn't told him that Draco had taken some clothes, he couldn't have told that something was missing.

_Is she not right? - Is she insane? - Will she now - Run for her life in the battle that ends this day_

The dirty laundry landed on the ground, the clean on the bed and he went starkers to the bathroom. He grabbed a clean towel from a rack and opened the glass door of the shower. He loved to take a shower while listening to his favourite music – loud – that the whole house was buzzing with the sound.

What if Draco didn't like his music? He'd need to buy a second stereo for his bedroom to avoid any problems, Harry thought when the hot water ran down his body and he began lathering his hair.

The song ended and a new one started. A heavy eighties beat was heard and a grin appeared on Harry's lips. His bum began shaking of its own accord and he sang quietly along when a twanging male voice began singing.

_Your pretty ladies around the world - Got a weird thing to show you - So tell all the boys and girls - Tell your brother, your sister and your mamma too - we're about to go down - And you know just what to do_

Music made him happy. Music relaxed him. His soaped hair forgotten for a moment, he began dancing in all earnest and sang along loudly, with a stupid grin never leaving his face.

_Word up everybody says - When you hear the call you've got to get it underway - Word up it's the code word - No matter where you say it you know that you'll be heard_

The song ended and Harry stepped back under the water jet, laughing heartily. Working with children meant to be rather mature when they were around, but when they weren't you became a child yourself once in a while. Fine, maybe it wasn't the fault of the children, but just because he was male.

He chuckled again and began lathering his body. A sustained note, played on an electric guitar, accompanied by hi-hat and snare drum and electronic noises announced another song and Harry moaned. The electronic guitar picked up its wicked melody and after about fifty seconds a deep seductive male voice began to fill the whole house with his vocals.

_Fall into oblivion - With me, my love - In the palm - Drunken night - And stars above_

Harry's hand wandered down to his quickly swelling manhood and he began stroking himself, just concentrating on the song. What if Draco would come home right now and would find him like this - knob in his hand and moaning unrestrainedly. He didn't know if he would be ashamed or pull Draco into the shower to play havoc with his body.

_Enter oblivion - Like rain from the sky - And don't you never ask - The reason why_

If he was honest with himself he wanted Draco to see him like this. Face flushed, panting, aroused, on the brink of completion, just to see the blond likewise. The song ended, but Harry didn't care. He didn't hear the cellos nor the mesmerising vocals, because images of Draco were mesmerising him.

_Dirty little secret - Dirty little lies - Say your prayers and call me rare - Save your soul tonight_

His movements got frantic and he leaned against the cold tiled wall for support, only seconds before his whole body tensed for a second and he found completion while calling out Draco's name.

_When your own world comes undone, - Let me be the one to say: - Your god is looking down on me! - I'm not Jesus, - You can't run away!  
_  
He rested against the tiled wall a moment longer until his knees didn't feel like jelly anymore, before he stood under the water-jet again and let it wash the soap away. He staggered out of the shower, grabbed the towel and rubbed his hair dry before wrapping the terry cloth around his waist.

The saviour felt with his tongue along the inside of his left cheek and grinned smugly. He'd have loved to see Draco's face if he had caught him red-handed. He'd probably have tried to set the dogs on him.

Harry went into the bedroom and dropped the towel. The music was still blaring from downstairs and he swayed his hips to the rhythm while dressing. An easy wandless tempus spell told him that it was quarter to four and Harry pulled a face. Draco was out with the dogs for almost two hours now, it was time to get home.

_Fall into sleep, fall into me - I have a dream - But nobody cares, nobody wants to listen - Fall into sleep, fall into me - Hang onto a dream, that nobody wants - Nobody cares anymore  
_  
The brunette went down the stairs and into the kitchen. He found the prepared dinner for them in the oven, it only needed to be heated up. He grabbed the kettle, filled it with water and put it on the hob.

In a shelf he found his favourite cup and filled it with two spoons of coffee powder. Harry slumped down in a chair, waiting for the water to boil and listened to the music. Draco needed to come home soon, he was getting nervous. The blond was a stranger to this neighbourhood. What if he got lost? No, that couldn't happen, the dogs were with him, they knew the area.

What if something has happened to him? If someone had attacked him or the strangers had found him? No, no, Harry calmed himself, that couldn't happen either. The dogs would protect him, no matter what.

He infused his coffee and looked up when he heard splattering noises over the sound of his music. Thick, heavy raindrops splashed against the windows and the dark, almost black clouds in the sky told him that the rain wouldn't lessen for a while. Why hadn't he noticed the dark sky? And where the bloody hell was Draco and the girls?

He switched on the lamp outside on the patio and sat back down. With the light on, he could see his garden and hopefully Draco soon. He would wait here, until the blond was back, safe and warm in his house. The music, also it was hard and heavy rock, calmed his ruffled nerves that were again ruffled by the caffeine.

The cd ended and Harry imagined how the plate with the five cds rotated and another one began playing moments later.

_Gimme fuel - Gimme fire - Gimme that which I desire - Oh_

He sipped his coffee and looked at the clock that hung at the wall across the kitchen range. Ten past four. Time wasn't moving fast enough. Should he go and look for Draco? But what if they missed each other and he would look hour after hour and start panic and would call the police and then he'd get home and Draco would sit in the living room, nursing a cup of tea and petting Ammit's head.

Oh bugger! He wasn't helping himself here. The fingers of his left hand tapped nervously on the table top to the rhythm of the music. What to do? What should he do? He'd been out with the dogs for hours as well, but rain always forced him back home.

Harry stood up, rummaged in one drawer and pulled out a pack of fags. Normally he didn't smoke at home. They were only for emergencies, and this was definitely an emergency, right? He broke a match out of a matchbook that was in the cigarette packet as well and scratched it along the striking surface that consisted of glass powder and red phosphor.

The sulphur of the match head ignited and for a moment Harry watched with interest the small flame eating the wooden rod. He brought the match closer to his face and lit the smoke with a deep drag.

The brunette inhaled deeply and could almost feel the fume spreading out in his lungs. He closed the drawer and felt almost at ease again. Nicotine did that to him. Twenty past four. It was time for something calmer. Harry hurried quickly into the living room, fag clamped between his lips, and straight over to the hi-fi system.

The boy-who-lived-twice opened the cd-changer, grabbed a cd-cover from the floor left side to the stereo and replaced one of the cds. Through the momentary silence he heard woofing and jumped up. He slammed the cd-changer shut and the cd began playing when he ran back into the kitchen.

_I can feel the raindrops...the raindrops, - running down my back - the words you used to ruin me...you ruin me. - And I remember, the rain in my eyes the day you turned and ran away...you ruin me._

All three dogs plus the young man, they momentarily seemed to prefer to their Master, stood in front of him and looked like they didn't have a care in the world. A stupid serene expression on Draco's face was driving him up the walls. How could he be so calm when some years ago he would have had been in a paddy because of a lint on his robe?

Coats, hoody, trousers and shoes were dripping with water and formed quickly a small sea on the tiled kitchen floor. Harry was gobsmacked. He opened his mouth a little and the fag fell to the floor.

"Where have you been?" He asked angrily; not quite yelling yet, but louder than usual. Draco pushed the soaked hood from his head and his wet blond strands fell into his face. He looked at Harry with something akin to pouting. The relaxed expression was gone, but Harry didn't care at the moment.

"Out with the dogs, of course." He yelled over the music. Harry flicked his wrist angrily and the volume of the music softened. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Lilith set to shake her coat dry, and only a quick drying spell prevented a minor high water incident in his kitchen, before all three dogs would get the same idea.

"You!" Harry growled, when he was certain the dogs were dry, and pointed at Draco whose eyebrows rose perceptibly. "Are you stark raving bonkers? What were you thinking to stay out that long? You could get pneumonia. I was beside myself with worry. You could have gotten lost or I-don't-know what else."

Malfoy only snorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Granted, wet and cold clothes weren't his favourite choice of attire, but how dare Potter yell at him for no particular reason?

"Oh all right. So, smoking and listening to some music means for you being beside yourself. I understand. Potter, I don't… Hey, hey, what are you doing? Pwttr!" Draco cried when Harry stomped over to his wet form and pulled the hooded jumper over his head.

The wet fabric landed on the floor with a disgusting squelching noise and Draco stood in front of Potter only in his wet t-shirt. He definitely was soaked to the bones. "What the bollocking…Hey!" Draco screeched when Harry's hands grabbed the hem of his, eh Potter's, shirt, and shoved it upwards as well. Rough hands ran along his sides and he didn't know if Potter did it on purpose or unintentionally.

"Potter! What the fuck?" Draco yelled and pushed Potter away, before the brunette could lift the t-shirt over his head. "Are you out of your bloody mind?" The dogs looked at the pair in interest and stayed close instead of heading for their blankets.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't change into dry clothes." Harry tried to explain his behaviour. His fingertips were still tingling. He'd felt the goosebumps all over Draco's body and wanted to rub his hands over the blond's chest to warm him a bit and maybe feel this soft skin a bit longer.

"Why, thank you for telling me, Potter." Draco snarled and sneered at The Golden Boy. "But it's not my fault if you hold me up down here and I think I'm quite capable of changing my clothes alone." He went around Harry, left the dogs with him and went out of the kitchen – only to be followed by Potter.

"Draco, wait. Please." Harry called out, but he didn't listen. The blond went up the stairs and pushed the door of his room open. Potter's foot was between door and frame, before he'd had a chance to bar Potter. "I just want to help, Draco." The idiot apologised before he'd a chance to yell at him again. The nerve he had.

All the tension was back again. Terrific – not! He'd been outside for almost three hours to think about many things, too find some ease and Potter had thrown everything in front of a lorry in two minutes flat.

He had enjoyed watching the dogs play, playing with the dogs, watching mother nature. He had been in solitude, no other resident had taken their dog for walkies, and now he wanted nothing more than being back on the track, no matter how much water would pour down on him.

"Potter, I'm really pulling myself together here not to scream at you, so just leave me now, will you?" Draco said exasperated through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but I was so relieved that you were back home and safe." The brunette closed the door and went closer over to Draco. "You need to get out of your clothes." He whispered and reached for the hem of the shirt again. Draco's eyes were fixed to the hand and he watched every movement closely.

Harry's fingers glided under the hem and brushed soft skin for the second time. He could feel the wetness remaining on his fingertips. Maybe there was a chance to get the Malfoy heir after all.

"Potter, what…?" Draco whispered, not trusting his voice at the moment. His hands twitched with irresolution should he stop boy-wonder or let him do as he liked?

"Let me help you." Harry purred and his hands pushed upwards, taking the t-shirt with them so that it bunched up under Draco's arms. The thumb of his right hand brushed over Draco's left nipple and the Slytherin hissed at the unexpected touch.

For the first time Harry could look at the fine, pale chest that he'd expected to be perfect and he'd been right, also you could see the effects of slight undernourishment, but that could be helped. He must be freezing, Harry thought when he saw the pale skin contracting to many small goose pimples.

Harry let go of the blond's body and Draco shivered when the wet fabric fell over his torso again. His arms were lifted and he let them above his head like an obedient, lifeless doll. Harry's hands went back to the hem of the t-shirt and caressed along Draco's arms on their way down. He lifted the dripping wet fabric again and this time over Draco's head without protest.

"Potter, why…?" Draco whispered, but bit his lip when he didn't dare end the question. What did he want to ask? What did he want to hear in response? – Potter, why do you do this? Potter, why me? Potter, why now? Harry, why don't you hurry? Harry, why don't you kiss me?

Harry didn't answer, but licked his awfully dry lips when he saw kissable lips worried between Draco's teeth. He let the t-shirt fall to the floor and grabbed Draco's belt to pull him a bit closer.

"Draco." Harry purred in the same captivating tone he'd used before and the blond finally settled for lowering his arms. His hands weren't twitching anymore and he felt the serenity crawling back into his body, also he was breathing heavily.

Deft fingers opened his old, worn belt quickly and set to be as quick with the buttons of the jeans. Loud, short barks outside on the hallway yanked him out of his… his…, he didn't know what he should call it, and he took one step back from Potter.

"Draco."

"Go. Please, go. Look after the girls." Malfoy said in a voice that held no anger, but no passion either.

"Draco." Harry tired again, but the blond escaped his grasp.

"No. No, Potter, no." A deep sigh left Harry's lips but no further word. He went to the door, opened it and heard immediately why Lilith, Ammit and Scylla were barking. Someone was fire-calling him and screamed his head off for him and that someone sounded like his _mate_ Ron. He'd give his _mate_ a piece of his mind for worst timing ever.

* * *

Lyrics by:  
Disturbed – The Game  
Cameo – Word Up  
The 69 Eyes – Wages of Sin  
Apocalyptica feat Corey Taylor – I'm not Jesus  
Mudvayne – Fall into sleep  
Metallica – Fuel  
Drowning Pool – Paralysed

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Thank you!**

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	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone, I'm sorry, it took so long to update, but I was a bit busy the last days and forgot about updating. +hides behind big tree+ I had no time to write anything.

Please bear with the question what Harry's doing by night, I will reveal everything along the story, but it needs some time. And I promise he's no villain, but actually, now that I think about it, no good bloke either.

TO JOEY: I love the idea and will consider it. +grin+

**Thank**** you to everyone who reviewed so far and will review for this chapter. **

**And don't hate Ron too much, he's a good reason. Promise.**

* * *

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

BETA: Chris

Chapter 08

Not thinking sounded good. Switching off the mind was the perfect idea, Draco thought when Harry closed the door from the outside. He couldn't spend one thought on what had happened only seconds ago, or even worse where this could have ended.

Why hadn't he pushed Potter away, also he hadn't had an idea where Potter had wanted to take this. But hadn't it exactly been what he had wanted? To arouse Potter's interest? This was all too much. First, stumbling over Potter after three years, only to be saved by him. Then fixing him up and thinking that Golden Boy was straighter than a pole, only to meet him some days later and being on the receiving end of openly flirting. And now? Now he had been… molested? Was 'molested' the right word, when you didn't fight, when you felt your skin prickle where you've been touched, when you were breathing hard and feeling calm at the same time, when you… when you wanted the other to finish what he'd begun?

Draco buried his face in his hands and made a whiny noise in the back of his throat. Hadn't he said not to think about it? Damn, Potter. Damn him and his gentle fingers and his growling voice. A shiver ran through his body and he knew that it wasn't due to excitement. He toed off his trainers and socks and opened the buttons of his black jeans.

Malfoy stepped out of the heap of wet shoes, jeans and underwear and hurried into the bathroom. He was in the shower and enjoyed the warm water, before he could start thinking about Potter again. Now that he knew Potter was downstairs and he wasn't the only human being in the house he could relax even without audience.

His body temperature regularised slowly and he stopped shivering. The inventor of the shower didn't just deserve his gratitude, he or she deserved a nobel prize.

--

Harry stormed down the stairs and into the living room, the dogs hot on his heels. There was still music heard, but at the moment he couldn't care less. As expected Ron Weasley's head loomed out of glowing flames inside his fireplace and he wanted to put all the blame on the redhead for messing up his possible chance to get Draco – to awaken Draco's interest for him.

He stopped in the doorframe so that Ron couldn't see him and inhaled sharply to compose himself. He couldn't blame his mate for something he didn't know about. No one, except his kindergarten children knew about Draco and he intended to keep it like that for a while at least for the rest of the world. Whether he would tell the Weasley's, or rather Ron and Hermione Weasley, depended on what Ron wanted now and in what mood he was in later. The brunette rearranged his still tight trousers and went over to his fireplace, bracing himself for a round of yelling.

"Where have you been?" Ron shouted, sending ash and ember all over the small rug that lay in front of the fireplace, when Harry showed himself his best friend. The dogs took a step back, knowing the danger of fire from their own experiences.

"Sorry, have been upstairs. Didn't hear the firecall chime." Harry answered, swallowing the retort he wanted to give.

"Get your butt over here, Mione's in labour."

"WHAT?" Harry screeched. He would have had come up with hundred things Ron may have wanted, but he hadn't reckon with that. "Already? But she isn't due until…"

"Next month. I know. But it seems that my babies can't wait to see their daddy." Ron said enthusiastically and somehow his goofy grin was infectious.

"Okay, I'll be over in a sec." Harry said and his cheeks began to hurt from smiling.

"The midwife's already here and we'll take Hermione over to St. Mungos now. Go over there, yeah?" Ron asked and suddenly flinched when he heard Hermione scream in the background. Harry didn't know if he should feel sorry for Ron or laugh about the threat Mione had sent towards him.

"Okay mate, I'll be there. And watch your bollocks or Mione will carry out her threat." Harry said sardonically.

"Ha Ha!" Ron exclaimed sarcastically and the flames died down and Ron was gone.

Harry whirled around on the spot and grinned at the she-dogs. "I'm going to become an uncle." He said ecstatically and totally forgot that he'd been angry with Ron. He stopped the music with one movement of his right hand and hurried into the kitchen. Grabbing a scribbling pad and a biro, he hexed the biro quickly to pen a short note for Draco, before he put the scribbling pad on the kitchen table that he could hurry back to the living room and apparate to St Mungo's.

--

For two hours he'd been hiding now in his room and hadn't heard anything of Potter or the girls yet. He had thought that Golden Boy would storm back into his room the moment he stepped out of the shower, but nothing had happened and he started to believe that Potter regretted what he had done earlier.

He didn't want to face the Gryffindor poster boy in fear of being kicked out of the house after less than two days, because Potter thought awkward of the situation. Fine, the situation was a little bit dodgy, but he didn't want to leave these four walls that gave him security. He didn't want to leave the possibilities of taking a shower when he wanted, of eating when he was hungry, of sleeping in a wonderful bed, of having company.

He weighed up the pros and cons of barricading himself in his room, like he had already done in the morning and came to the same conclusion when his stomach threw a spanner in his plans and growled loudly – he had no food.

Draco sighed in surrender. There weren't many options he had. Either waiting till Potter showed up and being hungry until then, but if he hadn't showed up yet, he probably would never come to his room again, Draco thought. Or bracing himself and going down to find some food and accepting to face Potter. Hadn't Mrs McTurner prepared some wonderful casserole for dinner tonight?

His stomach rumbled loudly and he knew that he had made a decision. He pulled the clean t-shirt, he'd been holding all the time, over his head and went out the door. The house was eerily silent and he descended the stairs slower than he'd planned, with all his senses on alert. Down in the hall he saw that the living room door was still held open by a big floor vase, but no music was blaring anymore.

He heard the padding sound of paws and felt relief flooding his body. Ammit, Scylla and Lilith came out of the living room and trudged over to him. "Hey girls." He said and petted each dog. "So, where's Potter?" His stomach rumbled again and he went for the kitchen to warming-up the casserole.

The blond spotted the scribbling pad, but went to the baking oven first. He opened it, checked if the casserole was okay and turned the oven on.

_'Draco,  
I apparated to St Mungo hospital.'_ Draco's eyes widened. _'Don't worry, I'm fine. Hermione went into labour and I'm going to make sure that she won't hurt Ron too much while he's holding her hand. I don't know when I'll be back therefore I wish you a good night.  
Harry'_

_"HA!"_ Draco exclaimed. "As if I'd be worried." His mind teased him with the memory that he had seconds ago been shocked to read Potter being in hospital. He growled angrily and threw the scribbling pad down on the table. He turned towards the kitchen range and opened wall cupboards randomly in search of a plate. After that it was the drawers turn to be searched through for cutlery.

"AaHa!" Draco called as though he had found Potter with the hand in the cookie jar. He took the cigarette packet out of the drawer and turned it in his hands. "So, Potter really smokes. I thought it had been an illusion." He told the dogs, meaning the moment when they had come back from their walkie. "I didn't smell it earlier." He added and blushed heavily when he remembered why had probably been too distracted to notice.

The blond threw the packet back into the drawer and pushed it loudly shut. "Don't think about it, Malfoy." He scolded himself and went over to the dogs to distract his mind. He saw the girls prowling in front of their empty bowls and wondered how Potter could forget such an important thing. He filled the bowls quickly and watched for a moment the dogs guzzling their dinner.

Ten minutes later he went with his own dinner into the living room and switched on the telly. It was the second evening alone in Potter's home and he hoped that it wouldn't turn into his second night alone as well. Not that he was overly eager to be in Potter's presence, noooo, but everyone was better than no one.

At twelve o'clock Potter hadn't returned yet and Draco decided to turn in. He wouldn't even admit it on threat of violence, but he was somewhat disappointed.

--

"So, Harry…" Hermione said and Harry looked up from the armchair he was sitting in, with the newborn baby-boy in his arms. The birth had taken about three hours and the young mother had felt like dead weight that couldn't move anymore. But when both her babies were handed to her, securely wrapped in fluffy blankets, she felt some power very slowly crawling back into her body.

Now it was close to midnight and she had had taken a short nap while Ron and Harry had taken care of the babies. She didn't know how and what, but Ron would need to make up for the pain she'd just been through.

Helena Josephine Weasley slept soundly in the arms of her daddy and her older brother, of fifteen minutes, Jason Ronald Weasley made cute baby noises in the arms of his uncle, who looked still questioningly at Hermione.

"how come you're so happy?" the only girl of the Gryffindor trio asked softly, her exhaustion still obvious. Since the moment Harry had stepped into her room he was all smiles.

"Mione, don't be daft…" Harry responded with the smile still gracing his face. He held his left index finger in front of Jason and the tiny hand closed around it. "I'm an uncle now. Is that no reason to be happy?"

"Of course it is. But being daddy of these two is so much better." Ron interfered and teased his best mate. Harry reacted rather mature and stuck out his tongue. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Ron's right. Of course you're supposed to be happy, otherwise I'd be unhappy, but…" she paused for a moment and looked intently at Harry. "…there's something else."

Harry sighed heavily. Leave it to Hermione to recognise things she wasn't allowed to notice at all. He watched his little niece instead of his best friends and braced himself for the big bang.

"I found him." He said so softly that the others needed to strain their ears. Ron's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and Hermione looked a bit puzzled herself.

"Who did you… Oh my god!" She exclaimed and smacked her hand over her mouth when she noticed how loud she had been. Helena luckily didn't wake. "You really… you did?" Harry nodded and looked up at Hermione.

"Who, mate?" Ron's brain was probably still stuck at the fact that he was now father of twins.

"He's found Draco." Hermione said with tears in her eyes and her gaze never leaving Harry's.

"Finally!" Ron groaned. "About bloody time that you stop being a constantly whining and complaining pain in the…"

"Ron!" Hermione said sharply, but her serious expression turned soft when she heard the chuckles coming from Harry. A sound she hadn't heard in a long time. She had seen him interact with his kindergarten children, but it was like two persons were living in one body. The moment he was away from the children his happy mask slipped and he was his depressive, unhappy self.

"How? When? Where's he now?" Hermione asked excitedly and blushed slightly when Harry chuckled once again.

"Well, let's say we stumbled across each other last Sunday night. And now he's living with me."

"HE what?" This time it was Ron who covered his mouth, but too slow and Helena began crying in protest. Her daddy took care of her and Hermione pursued the interrogation. One stern look of her was enough to make Harry speak.

"I asked him to move in with me. He was… he was homeless." Hermione could see that it pained Harry to say something like that about Draco and she reached out to put her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It's good that you found him. I'm happy for you. Does he, well, does he know?" She asked and the brunette shook his head. A small smile came back to his face. "Well, so what are you still doing here when he's not here? Off you go!"

Golden Boy laughed softly and handed Jason to his mother. He kissed Hermione on the forehead and waved goodbye at Ron before he apparated back home. Draco was nowhere seen. He found the casserole on the cooker and was pleased to see that the blond had eaten dinner, not much but it was a start.

--

"Good morning." Draco spun around and almost dropped the cup he held in his hand.

"Blimey, Potter. Don't scare me that much." He said when Harry came through the patio door with Ammit, Scylla and Lilith in tow. He pressed his flat hand over his heart, as if he wanted to keep it in his chest, and turned back around. "So, you've been outside with the dogs?" He had assumed that much when he'd woken up that morning and no one had been around. Fine, at first he had panicked, but after he had assumed it and that was what counts, right?

"Yeah, jogging." Harry said and flopped down on a chair. The table was ready laid for breakfast and a small smile cracked his face. Draco turned around with the coffee in his hand and looked closer at Potter. The man had really been out jogging. He was soaked in sweat, but didn't seem to be overly out of puff. The dogs, on the other hand, were obviously happy to be back home when they trudged from their water bowls to their blankets and landed on them with loud sighs.

"Thank you." Harry said when he got a cup of hot steaming black liquid handed. Draco fetched his cup of tea from the worktop and sat down across from Potter. "It's so cute that you made breakfast." The brunette male said with glee and although Draco could hear the mocking behind it, couldn't bite his tongue and grumbled something into his tea that sounded suspiciously like "I'm not cute."

"So, how's Granger?" Draco asked quickly to change the topic. He had seen Potter's delighted smirk and didn't want to hear more of it.

Draco was positively surprised that Potter behaved like nothing had happened yesterday. Because nothing had happened, a small voice inside his head told him again. This morning he had actually again considered to hide in his room, but made up his mind when he didn't know what to do with himself. Since five o'clock in the morning he'd lain awake and at nine he'd been bored stiff.

So, he had faked Gryffindor courage and had gone down to make breakfast only to find the house empty.

"It's Weasley now." Harry said between two sips of coffee. He put the mug down and looked at all the food on the table. "They are married for about ten months now. But, she's fine. Hermione's fine, like the twins and their Daddy feels like the luckiest man on earth at the moment."

Draco snorted when he imagined the moronic grin on the read head's face while cooing over his Weasel babies. "Twins? So, he must have had fast swimmers, eh?" He asked with barely contained laughter that broke completely free when Harry snorted in his coffee and spilled it all over his sweaty jumper.

The brunette cursed loudly and tried to pull the fabric away from his chest, hoping that he hadn't burned his skin. He pulled the jumper over his head and threw it over the backrest of another chair.

"Shite. That's not funny, Draco." He complained and looked at Malfoy and noticed that the Slytherin didn't pay him attention, but his chest. A dirty smirk replaced the annoyance. He flexed his muscles several times, only for Draco's pleasure, and watched with satisfaction when a soft pink tongue darted out and wetted Draco's lips slowly.

"Draco. Draco. My face is up here." Harry said amused and snapped his fingers in front of Draco's face. The blond startled and looked finally at him.

"I… I… Potter, what happened to your lip?" Draco gasped when he noticed the wound on Potter's lower lip for the first time. Hadn't he looked at Potter's face often enough the last days? His hand shot up like it had its own life and his fingers traced over Harry's lower lip without realising what he did.

A shudder ran down Harry's spine when Draco touched him that gently and he wanted to pull the git over the kitchen table right into his lap. What was he thinking to do this? The blond was walking deathly thin ice at the moment without knowing it, Harry thought and he felt the goose bumps along his arms.

If his carelessness, to conceal his wounds properly, brought him such reactions from Draco, maybe he should consider going completely without concealment charms and present the whole damage.

His hand seized Draco's and brought it to his mouth to kiss the palm lovingly. His eyes were fixed to Draco's and he saw that those beautiful grey pools were swirling with shock, but also excitement what made his cock swell quickly.

"Potter, what… Har…" Harry wanted to scream in joy. He had almost forced his first name from Draco's lips, but a shudder had stopped him and Harry liked the shudder even more. His lips nipped the skin of Draco's palm that was still as soft as if it had never seen one day of work even after three years on the streets.

"It's nothing." Golden Boy said between nips and didn't know if Draco realised that he just had answered his question about his cracked lip. His tongue glided between middle- and ring-finger and Draco moaned for the first time. Harry was the one who was 'worshipping' Draco's hand here, but he hadn't believed that it was so voluptuous, that it delighted Draco that much and himself as well.

He kissed a small path up to Draco's wrist and began licking the pulse point. Draco's wrist stiffened and he dipped his tongue in the hollow that formed between the ulna and the sinew in the middle of the wrist.

"What do you think about shopping for new clothes for you, today?" Harry asked while he lapped further and didn't leave Draco's flushed face out of his eyes. He needed to take advantage of this moment to get Draco some clothes. Also he wondered how he was able to think about clothes, when he didn't want anything more than Draco naked – beneath him – panting his name – writhing in pleasure…

"Sho… Sho… Shopping sounds… sounds fine." Draco stammered distracted. His left hand vanished under the tabletop and he pressed his carpal bone against his manhood that was aching hard.

"Are you sure?"

"Ye… Yes, yes, I'm sure." The blond moaned when Harry used his teeth one last time, before he let go of Draco's hand.

"Great! Then let's get ready. I just need to take a quick shower."

"Wha… Wha…" Draco was rendered speechless. From one moment to the next Harry had stopped. It had felt so wonderful, so… so… god he was so hard. "Okay, I'll clean the kitchen quickly." He said, trying to find his calm usual self back. But he wouldn't stand up with Potter still in the same room.

Harry didn't seem to care, Draco realised when his eyes widened in surprise. The brunette male rose from his chair and presented an impressing bulge in his tracksuit trousers without any sense of shame. "Good. I'll be down in twenty minutes." He said and left the kitchen with an expression that was much too smug for Draco's liking.

He slumped back in his chair and sighed heavily when Potter was out in the hall. He looked up and down the table that was still laden with untouched food, and groaned. He had just agreed to go shopping with Potter – for clothes for him, HIM Draco bloody Malfoy. Hadn't he said something about 'not imposing on Potter'?

"Well, looking and trying on didn't necessarily need to mean buying, told Draco himself when he stood up and began to clean the kitchen. He grabbed one of the pancakes and ate it while putting the other food in the fridge.

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Once again, sorry for the delay. Please don't hate me too much and press the little review button nevertheless.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I love you!  
**  
If you have any questions, ask, I'll answer them as long as I don't need to reveal too much about the plot.

Please don't hate Harry too much in this chapter.

On with the story!  
ZooArmy  
_(indulging in insanity since 2005)_

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BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE

BETA: Chris (who has always time for me. Thank you.)

Chapter 09

"Can we take the dogs with us?" Draco asked when Harry locked the door and went over to the garage. He didn't know how Potter did it, but again he behaved like nothing had happened between them.

"Why? Am I not good enough company for you?" Harry asked teasingly and pushed the garage door upwards.

"No, no, no." Draco squeaked that Harry spun around and saw fear in Draco's eyes. "That's not it. Really, Harry, that's not what I meant."

The brunette faltered in his steps and almost choked on his own spit. He hurried over to Draco and wrapped him in his strong arms.

"Potter?" Draco snapped perplexed and found quickly his equilibrium back. His fright of seconds ago forgotten.

"You just called me Harry." Golden Boy grinned from ear to ear and Draco lifted one eyebrow in disbelief.

"As if, Potter." He drawled and wound out of the brunette's grip, reluctantly, but no one needed to know that little secret.

"No, really, you did." Harry said, not letting go of the happy feeling in his stomach.

"You're delusional. Pure wishful thinking. Now get into gear, your neighbours are probably already gawping."

Harry turned around, but the grin wasn't leaving his face. He had heard his name, of that he was certain and no one could take that away from him – ever.

"So, what about the girls?" Draco asked when he followed Harry into the garage. He knew that he had said 'Harry' instead of 'Potter'. Of course he knew, he wasn't retarded or something. But wasn't ready yet to accept that he felt more than gratitude or annoyance towards Potter.

"They won't fit on the bike." Harry said earnestly, but smirked when he was sure Draco wouldn't see.

"WHAT? No bloody fucking way, Potter. I will definitely not sit again on something that's made in the depths of Hades. Especially not, if you're the driver."

"Hey! I'm a very talented driver." Draco's face stayed unimpressed. "We can't take them with us. Dogs are not allowed in stores. And why do you want to drag them along anyway?" Harry leaned carefully against his motorcycle and waited patiently for an explanation.

Draco looked anywhere but Harry, until he decided to fix his gaze on his trainers. This was why he had panicked before. "I… I… what if… they…" he trailed of and bit his lower lip nervously.

"Draco." The brunette male called softly. "I won't allow anything happen to you, but if you want we can go to Diagon Alley for shopping."

Draco's head snapped up and Harry saw that the left corner of his mouth twitched. "Hell no! I won't wear robes. I'm not some needy old geezer that loves a healthy breeze around their private parts."

Harry fell into fits of laughter, but shuddered when he imagined old geezers going commando, imagining Draco one the other hand…

"You wore them before." He said to pull his head out of the gutter. It was so typical Draco Malfoy to care more about clothes than being maybe noticed by some wizards that Harry felt his heart flutter.

"Yes, of course I wore them, who didn't? But I'm advanced in years now and my mind agrees with my old, wizened body that we're not going to turn into a needy old geezer." Draco said with played haughtiness and smirked complacently when Harry cracked again up with laughter.

The Gryffindor pushed off the motorcycle and went close enough to Draco that he could literally breathe down his neck. The blond could feel his breath against his ear and knew that Harry's lips would brush against the shell if he would move his head the slightest.

"Wizened body my arse, Draco." Harry whispered and Malfoy didn't know why he was suddenly breathing faster. "So, it's the car then." The brunette said when he took one step back and Draco thanked him mentally.

"Yes, I…" Harry's right hand glided gently over the bonnet when he went around to the driver side and Draco forgot what he wanted to say in order to groan loudly. "Potter, please don't tell me that car's for you are female as well."

Golden Boy looked up and smiled cheekily. "Of course, she is. Right, sweety?" He asked the car affectionately and patted the roof as though it was one of his dogs. Draco bridged his right hand over his eyes and shook his head in utter disbelief.

"You just didn't talk to it." It wasn't phrased as a question, in hope he had that mistaken and his ears had played tricks on him.

"But of course!" Harry admitted happily. "I'm a man. Men do such things."

Draco's hand slid from his eyes down to his mouth in a useless attempt to hide his amusement. "But, you're gay, Potter." He exclaimed between laughter and chuckles. A moment or two went by before Draco realised that he was the only one who thought his comment had been funny. He looked up with grey confused eyes and saw that Potter looked at him unsmilingly.

"Who said that I'm gay?" The brunette asked with a frown and got in the car behind the steering wheel. He had a really hard time to suppress the grin that wanted to break free. Maybe this tactic egged Draco enough on to show Harry that he wanted the same as Harry wanted.

"But… But…you… I…" Draco stuttered and stumbled over to the passenger door. He opened the door and collapsed onto the leather car seat. Harry put the key in the ignition and started the car.

"Something wrong?" He asked when he slowly rolled out onto the entry.

"I… I…Nevermind." Draco said meekly and turned away to look out of the window at Potter's house. The brunette shrugged and got out of the car. He closed the garage door and vanished inside the house again. Malfoy scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion, after all the motor was still running.

Potter came back out of the house and Draco's eyes lit up, despite the shock he had gotten moments ago. Ammit, Scylla and Lilith were brought out on a lead and straight over to the car. Potter didn't even need to push the driver seat forward. The girls squeezed between the seat and the car body into the back of the car and jumped on a blanket that was waiting for them on the back seat. Draco was surprised that they all fitted on the back seat.

--

They were for about an hour in London's city centre now and talked barely to one another. Potter had already dragged him in several shops, but he had always managed to keep Potter from buying anything for him. The easiest was to simply assert that he didn't like anything in the shop and Potter would drag him right into the next one. If he kept that up until Harry was annoyed enough to drive home, he'd been successful.

The crowd of people parted for them, like God had parted the red sea for Moses and the Israelites, what was remarkable for London where everyone was in a hurry and tried to squeeze through every so small gap in the crowd. Sometimes huge dogs came in handy.

"No matter what you say, in the next shop we enter I'll buy you something." Draco was only half-listening to Potter's 'threat'. He was still thinking about Potter. Was Golden Boy really just playing with him? Was he only a little amusement because no one else was available and on the scene at the moment?

How else should he explain what had happened so far between them and Potter claiming at the same time that he wasn't gay? The night they had first met popped again in his mind and took his confusion to new levels. That night Potter hadn't reacted the slightest and today, this very morning, he had been blatantly hard.

Draco's cheeks turned a rosy colour and he was grateful that Ammit literally dragged him out of his thoughts when she pulled a bit more and the lead tightened. The blond looked up and saw that Harry wasn't next to him anymore. He tried to spot the messy haired head over the heads of the other passers-by, but everything looked the same by the autumn weather, everything was a muddy grey.

Ammit didn't stop dragging and snarled angrily when one pedestrian trod on her paw. Draco's head swished from left to right in search of Potter's mop of hair or Lilith or Scylla and followed the Bullmastiff like he was walking on the leash and not the dog.

"There you are, Draco." Harry exclaimed and Draco felt relief flooding his body. Ammit had led him straight to the others, who waited in front of another shop entrance. Draco kneeled down in front of the Bullmastiff and slung his arms around her neck.

"Thank you, love." He whispered, before standing up again and facing Potter. "Let's get this over with, Potter." He said annoyed and tied Ammit's leash to a pole next to the entrance. Harry did the same with Lilith and Scylla and ordered the dogs to sit and wait for them to return.

Draco was already browsing the shelves and garment rails when Potter finally joined him. It had been an eternity since he'd been shopping the last time and actually he wanted to try on this and that, oh and that as well, and blimey that would look good on him, but he couldn't, he simply wouldn't.

He tried to seem annoyed and indifferent and the fact that Potter was apparently playing with him helped immensely. He turned towards Golden Boy, looked bored at him and said, while walking past him: "I don't like anything here."

Harry grabbed his elbow and stopped him from leaving the shop. "Not again, Draco. This time you won't get away that easy." Harry spun him around and took his hand in his. Draco looked startled at their connected hands and up at Potter. "Come on, Draco."

--

His father would turn in his grave if he would see that a Malfoy was dragged through a shop and needed to carry the clothes. Potter had let go off his hand a while ago, but had demoted him to his personal burro. Once in a while a new item landed on the pile and it got more and more difficult for him to see anything when the pile grew above his head.

A young saleswoman joined Harry quickly, after asking if she could be of any help and Potter telling her what he wanted and that he wanted it for Draco. Rebecca, the sales woman, enjoyed herself obviously when she added piece after piece to the pile.

"Potter!" Draco growled; his voice muffled by the clothes. "If you don't stop immediately, I'll simply drop everything and walk out of the doors without one single new piece." His voice sounded rather strained and Harry showed mercy, knowing that Draco wasn't joking.

He steered the blond over to the changing cubicles with his hands resting on the slim hips and Draco was grateful that he couldn't see the blush that tinted his cheeks in a, probably very embarrassing, colour.

Harry opened the door to the cubicle and shoved Draco gently inside. "Take your time, but I want to see everything, so that you can't claim nothing fit." The brunette called and Draco dropped the pile on a chair with a defeated sigh, there went his plan down the drain.

He heard Potter and Rebecca chat amicably in the changing area, probably directly in front of his changing cubicle, when he rummaged the tremendous pile of clothes for the first things to try on. A pair of nifty black dress trousers landed in his hands and he wondered why Potter had added them to the pile. He definitely didn't need anything… posh. He definitely didn't _want_ anything posh.

He put them on nevertheless. And a fitting white dress shirt that hid as well in the pile. Potter wouldn't leave him alone anyway until he'd presented himself in it. Actually he felt terribly overdressed. With a sigh he opened the door of the changing cubicle. He knew he looked good, the mirror in the cubicle had showed it and Malfoy's had anyway this certain 'je ne sais quoi' that made them look good in everything and if he said 'everything' he meant 'Everything', but the looks he received from Rebecca and Potter made him believe that he didn't just look good, but stunning.

"Draco, I so definitely will buy that." Harry almost stumbled over his own words and Rebecca only nodded numbly, too occupied with gawking at his clad form. Malfoy felt his mouth twitch, begging for the Malfoy smirk, but he fought it down and stared at Potter.

"What for, Potter? I have no use for such clothes." He grumbled and turned on his heels to head back into the changing cubicle. This was insane and completely surreal. Had Potter and he changed personalities? He took off the trousers and shirt and threw them over the cubicle door and knew he had hit Potter when a startled yelp echoed through the shop.

The next thirty minutes Draco felt like a model that presented the entire men fashion line of the shop. Only a proper catwalk was missing and the blond would maybe start spinning on the spot around himself. His pride was slightly hurt, but he could handle it. What he couldn't handle so far was that Potter was virtually undressing him every time he stepped out of the changing cubicle.

Maybe it wasn't the looks, but the knowledge that they weren't meant in honesty, that unsettled him. He didn't like being a plaything. Aside from that he wanted to smash his fist into the mirror, because Potter was giving him the looks while flirting openly with Rebecca. He should smash Potter instead of the mirror.

Draco heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that only one more pair of black trousers was left to _present_. The blond shimmied out of his momentary pair and put on the last pair. His eyes widened in surprise when he pulled the waistband over his bum – they were tight. No, actually they were tight, tight that he needed to arrange his front differently so that nothing hurt.

He smirked at his reflection and turned around to cast a glance at his behind. Not bad, he thought. Rebecca giggled outside and Harry's deep laughter joined her so that Draco's face fell and the smirk turned into a sneer. He pushed the door open and suddenly thought that he shouldn't just smack Potter but Rebecca as well.

Her hand rested on Potter's chest and Draco ground his teeth and she giggled again. "Oh Harry, I hope you'll succeed."

Malfoy cleared his throat and both heads snapped up and looked at him. He stepped out of the changing cubicle and was completely aware of the looks he received. He stood in front of the huge mirror that was fixed to the wall at the end of the changing area and could see every look Harry was sending him. The man almost drooled on his own trainers. Not gay my arse, Draco thought and snorted at the pun when Potter's eyes were glued to his behind.

"Mr Malfoy, the trousers look amazing on you." Why did Rebecca call him Mister, he wasn't older than she and it made him feel… old. But he didn't want to be called 'Draco' either. Damn it!

The door of a second cubicle opened and another customer stepped out. His eyes landed immediately on Draco and raked over the blond's body openly. The low whistle he gave in appreciation called Harry into action.

The brunette hurried over and put a possessing hand on Draco's slender hip. He leaned over and whispered in Draco's ear so that it sent shivers down the blond's spine, but didn't leave the stranger out of his eyes and watched him with help of the mirror.

"You look mind-blowing."

"I know." Draco snorted, trying to hide his nervousness. This was exactly such a scene he couldn't understand – Potter 'molesting' him. The hand on his hip snaked upwards and seized his elbow carefully. "Potter!" Draco hissed quietly. He didn't want to make a scene and decided to follow boy-wonder when he whispered a short 'follow me' into his ear.

Potter winked at Rebecca and Draco felt his blood boil in anger when he was shoved into the changing cubicle. "What the fuck, Potter?" He was pushed face first against one side part and his bluster ebbed when Golden Boy pressed his body against his backside. The hardness against his bum was undeniable.

"Potter, I'll scream if you won't step back instantly." Draco snarled and received only a dirty short laugh.

"I don't think so, Draco." Harry purred in a deeper voice and ran his right hand up and down Draco's thigh. His left found its way to the blond tresses and brushed them gently away from the pale neck. Malfoy twitched when soft lips planted kisses up his neck to his ear and back down to his shoulder.

"Stop. Stop it, Harry." The blond whispered, but stretched his neck invitingly at the same time. Rough hands snaked around him and under the hem of his tee-shirt to brush against his heated skin. The fingertips dipped into the waistband of his trousers and Draco gasped.

"You'll wear these trousers only when I'm around, So that nobody tries to take you away from me."

"WHAT?" Draco yelled, when he realised what Potter just had said to him. He bent his arm and rammed his elbow into Potter's side, not hard, but it was enough to get him off his back. "You sick twisted… what the fuck is wrong with you?" Draco yelled and made Harry's ears ring in that short distance.

"I'm not your plaything or someone you can use to find some entertainment." The blond went on and worked himself in a conniption. Harry on the other hand only watched him calmly. He put a silencing charm on the changing cubicle and let Draco rant and rave.

"What do you want from me, Potter? What's your frigging problem?" He massaged his forehead and temples in agony and Harry could hear him breath heavily, but kept quiet. The silence aggravated Draco even more. He wanted to hear Potter struggling with excuses to yell at him even more.

"You tell me you're not gay, you flirt openly with _Rebecca_…" he said the name overly sweetly and rolled his eyes. "and at the same time you touch me, whisper in my ear. Fuck, Potter, you just kissed my neck." Draco exclaimed and threw his hands in the air that they were at face level. Harry saw his chance and used it. He grabbed both hands and pulled that Draco stumbled clumsily forward against Potter. He was completely off-guard and Harry pressed his lips against his in a slow-going careful kiss.

Draco's hands struggled in his grip for a moment, but went slack when he nipped at the blond's lower lip and hummed in pleasure. He had expected a bit more resistance from Draco's side, but who was he to complain? Malfoy kissed back eagerly and whimpered when Harry didn't want to let go of his hands, he wanted to touch him so badly all of a sudden.

The kiss broke and Draco looked into green eyes that showed so much merriment that it couldn't mean anything good. Potter gave a small laugh that sounded almost derisive to Draco and he felt his heart sink. Had he really thought that Golden Boy was interested in him, that he wanted him not just for amusement? Stupid Malfoy, he reproached himself.

"See, and now I just kissed your mouth." Harry said teasingly in reference to Draco's former exclamation. The blond felt the anger rise again and yanked his hands out of Potter's grip. Not even caring that he still wore a pair of unpaid trousers, he grabbed his trainers and stormed out of the changing cubicle.

"Fuck you, Potter! Fuck you and your sick twisted mind." He stormed out of the shop, still on his socks, trainers in hand and no jumper on to keep him warm. The alarm signal of the anti-theft-device set off when he ran out of the entrance door, but he couldn't care less. The dogs were barking happily when he ran their way, but he paid them no attention and walked past them.

Why had he thought that Potter had really meant the kiss? Even though he had believed it only for mere seconds, the reality was devastating nevertheless. He immerged in the mob and allowed himself to be pulled in any direction. He didn't feel the cold of the pavement slabs or the icy wind, the anger that still seethed inside of him distracted him quiet easily.

Draco didn't notice that the street was rife with many small stands that tried to dispose anything possible. Some only tried to advertise their bars and clubs and handed out flyers, others tried to talk pedestrians into subscriptions of any kind or asked to donate for endangered species most of the people didn't even know.

The blond didn't even see his old boss, when he was only two metres away. Too immersed in his thoughts and cursing Potter with every word that sounded vile enough, he jumped out of his skin when a huge hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him aside.

* * *

Yep, I know. It's an evil cliffy.


	10. Chapter 10

I know it's a late update, but there weren't as many reviews as expected. lol. jk. You are wonderful.  
I was busy.

To _FallenAngel1129_: Yes, I'll explain everything. You just have to wait a little bit more. If everything goes according to plan, the secret will be revealed in chapter 14, at least the biggest part. Grin

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**WARNING: Violence  
**.  
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Keep the Reviews coming!  
-ZooArmy-  
_(indulging__ in insanity since 2005)_

_._

BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE

BETA: Chris

Chapter 10

Harry was totally stunned and stood for two or three minutes in the changing cubicle with huge invisible question marks above his head. What had just happened, he wondered and his eyebrows creased when contemplating the same question.

What had he done so that Draco had tried to kill him just with his glares? Had he gone too far? But he had only done it to get some emotion from Draco, to see if he meant something to the blond hunk. Had he chosen the wrong way?

The door to the cubicle opened hesitantly and Rebecca peeked inside. "Eh, Harry, everything all right? Mr Malfoy just left the shop in socks and a pair of our trousers without paying." The young woman said and looked a bit flummoxed.

Harry's head snapped around and gave a nasty crack. He winced at the pain that shot through his neck, but had other things on his mind to care at the moment. "What do you mean with 'left the shop'?" He asked, suddenly panic-stricken. Rebecca took a step back and he hurried out of the changing cubicle. His eyes scanned the shop frantically, but no Draco was in sight.

"He… he looked really angry and stormed out of the shop and turned right." Rebecca cast eyes down and fidgeted with the ring on her left ring finger. "I'm sorry, I didn't try to stop him."

Golden Boy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's my fault, not yours Becca. Look, collect everything that looked good on Draco and send it with the bill to my address and please charge the trousers on the bill as well. I… I'll have to look for Draco now."

The flaming red-head had only enough time to nod in agreement, before Harry ran out of the shop. He quickly untied the leashes of the dogs and they followed him around the right corner. Ammit, Scylla and Lilith ran past him and pedestrians sprang aside to get out of their way. Harry just needed to follow, as if the girls knew what they had to head for. And again he thanked every deity that he had his three girls.

--

"Now, now, look who crawled back to our little family?" The bulky man said with obvious amusement. An evil smile played around his lips when he looked down at Draco, who was still caught in his gigantic hand. The digits dug deep in his nape that the muscles tensed in reaction and he knew it would leave bruises black as night.

"Mr Miller." Draco croaked and was pushed down to his knees. He cried out when his kneecaps made contact with the concrete pavement slabs and he heard Timothy Miller snort in malicious joy. The young male looked up at his former boss and saw the glee in his beady eyes. He looked around and saw some of his erstwhile colleagues staring at him in shock or fright.

People walked past the small stand and gawped unashamedly at the scene, but no one seemed to care enough to help. They all seemed to live according to the motto 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'. We've seen nothing – we're the majority, we don't interfere – we've our own problems – everyone dies alone.

Draco couldn't even hold a grudge against them. After all, Miller didn't actually look like a weakling. He felt the grip tighten on his nape and his head was pulled up again to look at his much hated ex-boss.

"I've heard that you had quite a lot of luck the last time, eh? Your little hero caused a lot of damage." Draco could hear the anger rise in Miller's voice and the amusement he had showed before left his face quickly.

"You've made a mistake Malfoy, A massive mistake. No one runs away from Timothy Miller." The voice had turned to an icy tone now and Draco knew from experience that it only meant Miller's anger was worsening. It wouldn't be long until he would either break some bones in Draco's delicate body or kill him right away.

"But before the two of us have a little discussion…" Draco shuddered at the idea how this _discussion_ would proceed and probably end with him on the ground in his own blood. "… I think you should apologise to my four brothers for what your hero did to them."

Draco felt the tears brimming in his eyes. His breath was fast and unsteady. Maybe he could try to hyperventilate and faint that he wouldn't feel the pain that would inevitably follow now. He looked around in the radius that his field of vision allowed. The hand in his neck made it impossible to move his head the slightest.

The four muscleheads that had hunted him one week ago came out of side streets as though they had heard Timothy Miller the whole time. Were they around to make sure no one could scarper like he had done days ago? Miller's hand found its way into Draco's hair and he cried out in agony. He followed the hand on his head like an obedient doll, not to get his scalp ripped off his skull.

"Look at them, Malfoy. Look closely. That's what we will do to you." Draco tried to look at the four bear-like men, but tears were streaming down his face that his vision got blurry. "LOOK AT THEM!" Miller barked and Draco sobbed pitifully. He was too scared to disobey and lifted his left hand quickly to wipe away the tears that didn't want to stop.

He looked at the men, still wiping his eyes, and gasped in shock. They hadn't looked like that before. He knew them from before, they had always been their minders, that he knew what they looked like, even though it had been to dark to see when they had hunted him. But they had never looked so… so… incomplete. It was a perverse choice of word, but it fit perfectly well.

What had Harry done to them? HAD Harry done it? But how? They would have needed to scream in incredible pain, but Draco hadn't heard anything that could have indicated… that. The first was missing an eye and the whole right side of his face was one gash. What wounds he hid under his clothes Draco couldn't tell, but if his body looked like his face it was remarkable that he could stand upright.

The second brother was limping on crutches and Draco couldn't see anything except the occasional black eye. Maybe he had been too daft to run and had sprained his ankle. He looked over to the third and fourth brother and felt almost sorry for a nanosecond. They both had lost an arm and looked rather raddled even after one week.

"You see Malfoy, we'll just take what is ours. An eye and two arms. We'll break your thigh bone, every bone in your right hand. No wait, we'll do that before we take your arms." Miller laughed psychotically and Draco wished they'd simply kill him to end it all. He felt the bile rise in his throat and tried to keep it down with deep breaths.

What had Harry done? Why had he run from Harry? Becoming a spoilt plaything was three-thousand times better than this. The pain in his nape and on his head numbed him and he began to feel dizzy. He was already turning barmy for he suddenly heard barking dogs and wished it would be Ammit and Lilith and Scylla.

"Here, take him with you and take what is yours." Miller snarled and let go of Draco's hair. The blond mustered his last bit of strength to cover his face with his arms when he was thrown to the ground. The man with one eye went forward to pick up Malfoy.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Harry said coldly. The brothers of Miller stopped midway and looked at Golden Boy in confusion. The four men really seemed to miss one or two brain cells too much. Timothy Miller turned around and looked down at Harry, who was about six inches smaller.

"And who are you to declare any threats here?" Miller asked calmly, but with a hint of annoyance. Harry's dogs stood by his side and snarled angrily at the gigantic man.

Draco sniggered, despite the situation he was in. He really must have gone mental when he had not only heard the girls snarl, but Harry threaten the others. If he was already delusional, maybe he would faint soon. Miller punished him with a kick in the side and the blond howled in pain.

Harry looked at Miller and his eyes were only small slits. His hands were balled to fists and clenched and unclenched once in a while. He took deep slow breaths to calm down before he'd do something rash and maybe endanger Draco even more.

"Didn't I say to leave him alone?" Potter gritted out and looked for a short moment at the foetus form Draco had coiled up in.

"And didn't I ask you who you are?" Miller retorted and prepared for another kick in Draco's stomach or side or whatever he could reach, but Ammit leaped forward and stood over Draco, bridging him with her forelegs and hind legs. She bared her teeth and growled furiously. Every time Miller tried to land a kick she would snap at the boot and Miller would quickly jerk his foot back.

"My name's of no importance, but you should know that if you hurt Draco more than you've already done I'll take care of you instead of my dogs."

Miller threw his head back and laughed loudly. His employees looked terribly frightened and gathered behind the small stand to get some space between themselves and their maniac boss. The giant man stepped away from Draco and went over to Harry. He smiled grimly and it probably intimidated many people, but the brunette didn't even flinch. The dogs snarled to show that they'd protect their owner, but Harry ordered them to stay calm and quiet and Scylla and Lilith listened instantly.

Timothy Miller planted his massive body in front of Harry's and looked down at him in disdain. Harry was muscled and broad-shouldered, but everyone looked a bit puny in comparison to a 6'9'' man.

"Listen Superman, you're not welcome here. This is none of your business and I give you some well-meant advice, leave now otherwise I'm going to make you leave in a very uncomfortable way."

Harry only snorted and could see the vein on Miller's left temple start pulsing angrily. This boy brought his blood to boiling point. No one, simply no one laughed about Timothy Miller. He was used to cowering and fear and obedience, not clowns that seemed to think they were some kind of hero.

His right hand balled into a fist and he lifted it quickly to teach this stripling a lesson that showed not to intervene in anything that concerned Timothy Miller. Harry caught the fist easily in his left hand and it didn't seem to strain him much. His hand encompassed Miller's fist and suddenly the colossus howled in pain.

A pleased grin appeared on Harry's lips and he raised his left eyebrow playfully. "Ah, did you feel that?" Miller didn't answer, but tried to pull his fist out of the vice-like grip. Harry tightened his grip and Miller howled again. Something just had cracked, hadn't it?

"Yes, yes, I felt that." The brute whimpered and squirmed with pain.

"Good. And now you'll listen, _Hulk_. I'll take Draco now and walk away from here without any trouble or you following us. And guess what, I've some well-meant advice for you too. If anything should happen to Draco from now on, you'll be the first I'll pay a visit – so, make sure you stay out of his and my life or I'll break every single bone in your body, like your hand now."

With that said tightened Harry his grip on the hand of Miller again and an ugly cracking sound was heard, quickly followed by pain-filled screams of none other than Timothy Miller. Harry let go of the fist and watched Miller sinking down on his knees, cradling his damaged hand, before his eyes wandered over to his four brothers.

"Can we go now, or would you like to talk to me as well?" All four shook their heads frantically and Harry nodded curtly. He hurried over to Draco and kneeled by his side. Ammit went aside and lay down next to Harry to rest her head near Draco's stomach. A tentative hand loosened from the blond's stomach and touched her snout gently.

"Draco? Dragon? Can you hear me? Can you move?"

"You saved me again." Draco whispered and felt new tears prickle in his eyes, but this time out of happiness not pain. He hadn't imagined Harry saving him, it had been real. It was real.

The brunette chuckled and ran his hand carefully over Draco's head. "Always. As long as you'll need me. – I'll lift you up now, okay? If I hurt you, scream so that I'll know, okay?" Draco nodded, but knew he wouldn't scream. Harry had done so much already, he didn't need to hear his whiny complaints too.

Potter lifted his torso carefully and wrapped his left arm around his shoulder. His right arm snaked under Draco's knees and he looked at the blond's face for any signs of pain. "Ready?" Draco nodded again and Harry cradled him closer and stood up with him in his arms. The blond thought he would bite a hole in his lower lip. The spot that Miller had kicked at his side was killing him but wasn't worse than his nape or head. He simply hurt all over. He kept his eyes closed and didn't pay attention to his surroundings or where Harry was taking him. His head rested against the brunette's biceps and he could feel the tense muscles against his cheek – the strength that was lingering beneath the skin.

"Draco?" Harry asked after a while and his voice was soft and incomparable with the harsh, cold tone he had used for Miller. Draco, feeling befuddled by Harry's scent, opened his eyes partly and tried to focus on Potter's face that was so close to his. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." The blond croaked. His voice was always raspy after crying uncontrollably and he hated it with passion. Harry on the other hand thought it was the sexiest voice he'd ever heard, beside Draco's usual voice that is. "Can you stand so that I can open the car door?"

"Dunno, but I'll try." He struggled in Harry's arms and his face scrunched up in pain when he moved too hastily.

"No, wait, I'll do it magically then."

"No you won't. What if someone sees you?" Draco reasoned. He needed to pull himself together for his own sake. He had cowered enough earlier in front of Miller, if he wouldn't get a grip on himself now it would take days until he was his usual self again. "Put me down."

Harry obeyed and let his legs slowly down. His arm was still around Draco's shoulder and the former Slytherin appreciated it a lot. His legs felt like jelly and he knew, the moment Harry would let go of him he'd slump down like a bag of potatoes, but Harry held him – close.

He pulled the car keys out of his overcoat pocket and opened the passenger door. The dogs jumped inside without any command and he let the keys dangle outside the door. "Okay, let's get you in the car." He said to Draco and his arm wandered lower and wrapped around Draco's waist.

Malfoy raised one weak leg, trusting Harry that he wouldn't let him fall, and lifted it into the footwell of the passenger seat. He felt Harry's hand on his behind when he heaved himself cumbersomely into the car with the brunette's help, but kept quiet.

Harry crouched beside the car and helped Draco with the seatbelt. His free hand rested on Draco's right thigh and he couldn't suppress the urge to run it gently along.

"Potter." Draco's voice was playful and he smirked.

"Hmhm." The belt lock snapped in and Harry leaned slowly back.

"Did you just feel me up while I'm in pain?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised one eyebrow in question. Harry had the decency to blush a bit.

"Well, I've to seize the opportunity when you don't complain, eh?" Harry presented his slim excuse with so much smugness that Draco fell into fits of laughter, which made green eyes shine happily for a moment. But the happiness vanished quickly when Draco squirmed in pain and cursed his body colourfully.

"That's enough, I'll take you to a hospital now." Draco's eyes widened and he shook his head slowly. He wanted to shake it frantically, but his headache admonished him not to do so.

"No, no, Harry, no, I can't pay…"

"Bollocks!" Boy-wonder exclaimed and scrunched up his eyebrows. "You don't need to pay anything." He stood up and closed the passenger-door, walked around the car and took his seat behind the steering-wheel.

"Potter."

"No, Draco. I don't want to hear anything about it. I promised you I'd help you and I won't make a difference now, besides it's my fau…"

"Harry!" The blond interrupted him, before he could say something that wasn't true and that Draco wouldn't want to hear. Golden Boy watched when a pale, delicate hand landed on his upper arm and he obeyed when the hand pulled him towards Draco. Soft, rosy lips pressed against his in a chaste kiss that was much too short.

"Thank you." Draco whispered and turned quickly away, when he felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. He felt those beautiful green orbs staring at him, probably waiting for an explanation, but he couldn't. He'd thought a kiss was the only way to show Harry that he was thankful, that he'd accept being Potter's plaything, but saying it out loud was out of the question.

"So, uh, what about the hospital now?"

Harry blinked dumbfounded, before he cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, yes, of course, hospital, right." He started the motor and felt his stomach flutter when Draco chuckled, even though it was at his expense.

--

Later that day, in the early evening, Harry sat on the couch in the living room with Draco's head in his lap. The blond had two broken ribs and many haematomas that looked rather bad and his head had been throbbing in indescribable pain, but otherwise he was okay. He was befuddled with painkillers that the doctors in the hospital had given him and didn't seem to notice or care where his head rested. He was just happy to finally rest a bit.

Harry's hand stroked gently over Draco's head without combing the strands and maybe hurting Draco more. This was what he had wanted all the time, but that he had needed to save Draco again hadn't been part of the plan. His hand stopped when the thought hit a sore nerve. What if Draco was like this, because he knew that Harry liked him and he felt indebted?

"Draco?" Golden Boy called softly, feeling a nasty lump in his throat that didn't want to go away.

"Hm?" Draco didn't even bother to open his eyes, they would close again anyway. His arm dropped over the edge of the couch and landed on the boxer's head. The she-dog raised her head and pushed her snout in Draco's hand.

"Tell me, why you left."

"Left?" Lilith began licking his hand and a stupid smile appeared on his lips. The gentle hand began stroking his head again and he sighed contently.

"Yes. Three years ago. Why did you leave, back then?"

Draco's eyes drooped and his head lolled to the side that his cheek rested against Harry's leg and he could watch Lilith. The other two girls lay in front of the fireplace and enjoyed the warmth.

"Draco?"

The blond's eyes closed again and he didn't bother anymore to open them. "Hmhm?"

"Tell me, please." His hand slid along Draco's face and down to the neck he had kissed in the changing cubicle. That memory seemed to be ages old and not just a couple of hours.

Harry saw the fight Draco fought against sleep and smiled. He lifted the blond head from his lap to stand up and crouched in front of the couch next to Lilith.

"Whe'yo'g'in'?" Draco slurred sleepily. The doctors had told Harry that he would be kind of out of action, but to such extent was a bit surprising. He could have his wicked way with the Slytherin and Malfoy would probably not even notice it – at least he wouldn't be able to struggle. This defencelessness was a bit disturbing, especially if you knew Draco's personality.

"What do you think about going to bed, huh? You can tell me tomorrow about everything, okay?" His hands snaked around Malfoy's shoulders and under his knees and he lifted the slender man up in ease. Draco's droopy eyes opened a bit wider and he stared at Harry in fright.

"But what if Miller comes to… to…" His pronunciation was clear and distinctly to his own surprise, but the idea that Miller could show up when he was alone in his room, dispelled the fog around his brain for a moment.

Harry opened the door to Draco's room and closed it when his three dogs were inside as well. The blanket was thrown back magically and he lay Draco gently down on the mattress. "No one will come." The brunette said soothingly and stroked blond fringes out of Draco's eyes. "No one will find you here if you don't want to be found. And I promised you I'd protect you, no matter what, didn't I?"

He let go of Malfoy, but Draco's hands were fisted in his shirt and didn't let go. "Draco, you need to let go. I can't stay like this all night." Harry said smilingly and encompassed the pale hands.

"Stay. Please." Draco whispered, but the fog was coming back and he didn't hear Harry groan in despair. "Stay. Please." He repeated and tried to tighten his grip, but found no more energy. Harry kneeled on the bed next to him and looked down at the blond. He knew that it wasn't Draco who asked him to stay, but the fear in him and that it would have consequences if he stayed.

The chance to sleep close to Draco in one bed was too tempting and won easily. Harry kicked off his shoes and lay down beside his secret love. He pulled the blanket over their bodies and squeaked quite unmanly when Draco snuggled closer to him and rested his head on his shoulder.

"P'rfec'." Draco mumbled and allowed his body to finally relax and fell asleep. Harry felt his heart race and his breath coming in irregular pants. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

"Gods, Draco you'll hate me so much in the morning." He whispered and ran his hand over the arm that was thrown over his chest.

He wouldn't bet on getting any sleep tonight.

--  
See, I was nice this time. No evil cliffy. How 'bout telling me how wonderful I am? Not! Just tell me what you think, eh?


	11. Chapter 11

coughcough blows dust of keyboard  
Hello, anybody out there?  
Merlin's blue balls, two more days and it would have been an entire month since my last update… I am so utterly sorry, you've no idea. I'm in the middle of moving and it were some exhausting weeks and it may sound a bit rude, but I had no time to update. I apologise.

Please, enjoy this chapter as much as you can, because I've no time when I'll be able to update the next time. I needed to get a new provider and the ruddy lot told me it would take up to four weeks until I'll have internet in my new flat. Stupid merchant (lol I love cockney rhyming slang) Anyway…

This chapter will give you some insight into the three years Draco spent in muggle London and you'll get to know about another side of Harry and what he thinks about Draco.  
BUT this is NO and won't ever be a creature fic. (I just wanted to clear things up, because many readers asked if Harry's some vampire, werewolf, Veela or some such thing.)

To cravedom: I like the idea of artwork for my story. No one had ever considered to do such thing for any of my other stories and I'm quite flattered that you mentioned it for this one. But the question is… who would do it? Lol

Thank you for all the wonderful Reviews they keep me sane.

* * *

BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE

BETA: my wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Beta Chris (yes, three wonderfuls were necessary)

Chapter 11

Harry opened his eyes slowly; little light came through the window. The curtains hadn't been closed last night and the light of the early morning hours tinged the walls in a mellow orange. His three dogs lay under the window and didn't move. He lifted his head carefully and finally realised that he and Draco had changed their positions over night and that he had a little problem now.

His arm was tightly wrapped around Draco's middle and he spooned the young man shamelessly. He lowered his head back on the pillow and tried to will his erection down that rested against Draco's behind, but the attempt backfired and he felt his erection pulsing with excitement. Trying to think about anything to forget where he lay, lead inevitably to thoughts of where he lay and that it was perfect and exactly what he wanted.

'Draco will kill me', Harry thought and inhaled deeply to calm down. He shifted slowly backwards to bring some space between their bodies and the heat that had formed under the blanket began to send him around the bend. His arm was still wrapped around Draco and trapped between the slender body and the arm that rested over his.

Slow and carefully he tried to free his arm to get out of the bed and probably hurry into his own bathroom to get rid of the painful hardness that wanted nothing more than being buried between the two… Big, Big mistake. Don't think about Draco's behind, when you can't have it.

A hand grabbed his and he twitched in shock. "Stay." The blond mumbled sleepily and tried to pull Harry closer. Golden Boy obeyed despite his beating heart.

"But…" he tried meekly and hissed when Draco snuggled closer and rubbed his bum against his erection. He must have felt it, he definitely must have felt it, Harry thought and wondered why 'Blondie' made no attempts to throw him out of the bed. Did he remember that he had asked Harry to stay? Did he want this? Or, Harry thought again with this queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, did he do this because Harry wanted it and he felt indebted?

"Stay." Draco mumbled again and rested his hand on Harry's to entwine their hands, before he fell again asleep. The brunette lay behind him with a frown on his face and didn't know what to do. He shifted restlessly until his left arm was resting under his head, but that didn't help in any way. It was still to hot under the blanket. Draco was still too close for him to calm down. And he didn't even want to start about his other problem.

He kicked the blanket off his body and sighed contently. At least one problem was easily to solve and taken off his bothered mind.

--

Harry opened his eyes for the second time that day. The mellow orange of the early morning was gone and was replaced with grey, dull daylight. Autumn weather at its best. The bed was empty, the room was empty and he wished himself back to the early morning hours when he had woken up with Draco's body tightly pressed against his.

He rolled out of bed and remembered that it wasn't his room he was in. He went across the hall to his bedroom and into the bathroom to relieve himself. He considered a shower and a shave, but decided against, to look for Draco. Maybe the painkillers had worn off and he couldn't find the tablet tube or he had realised what had happened last night and this morning and was about to leave. Fine, nothing had happened, but was Malfoy the same opinion?

With fear and urgency he hadn't felt five minutes ago, Harry hurried the stairs down to the ground floor and bolted into the kitchen where he'd heard Scylla howl in this one tone that always said she demanded attention.

Draco had halted in his motion to snap the leash to Ammit's collar and looked at Harry in confusion. Still bent over, he scrunched his eyebrows and asked Harry with his looks if something was wrong.

"Phew, you're here." The blond chuckled and snapped the leash to Ammit's collar.

"Of course. Where else should I be? Although I was about to go out with the dogs, want to join me?" There was no regret or disgust in his voice, Harry thought, when he watched Draco adding the leash to Scylla's collar that the animal would finally shut up. He went over to the blond and took the leash out of his hand.

"Have you eaten?"

Malfoy fidgeted with his hands and ran them along the leash until he could hook his fingers under the collar of Scylla. "I, eurm, I… of course I… no." He said with remorse and kept his eyes trained to the floor.

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I told you, you need to eat more and I thought you would take that advice after the doctors told you the same last night."

"Yes, I know."

"Okay," Harry leaned down and undid the leash from Scylla's and Ammit's collar "what do you think about having breakfast with me now and then I accompany you afterwards?"

"I'm not particularly hungry." Draco mumbled when the brunette went to the patio door and opened it to let the dogs out into the garden. He turned around to Draco and grinned mischievously.

"You haven't eaten my home-made scrambled eggs yet. You'll be hungry when you'll taste them, if not sooner."

Draco chuckled and went slowly over to the dinner table. Harry watched the tender movements and hurried over to help Malfoy sit down. He pulled the chair out under the table and wrapped his arm around the slim shoulders. "Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine."

"Draco." Harry admonished the blond and wrapped his arms from behind around him, when he sat safely on the chair. Draco tensed in the embrace, but relaxed somewhat when a gentle kiss was pressed to his temple.

"I'm fine. Really. I can handle it." He heard the heavy sigh when Harry let go of him. He fetched the eggs from the fridge and busied himself, preparing breakfast.

"Don't push yourself too much." Said Harry after a while and Draco wondered if he really had heard worry in his voice.

--

"What did you do to Miller?" Draco asked quietly when they walked side by side and followed the dogs. They had been outside on the track for about fifteen minutes and hadn't talked to one another so far. Breakfast had been fairly tasty, but also eaten in silence. And the silence began to gnaw at Draco that he finally mustered enough boldness to ask Harry something that was, beside other questions, gnawing at him as well.

Harry faltered in his steps and stared at him with big, round eyes. "Eh, eh, what did you say?"

"I asked," Draco began anew with a small smile because of Harry's shocked expression. "what you've done to Miller yesterday. I heard him scream, but couldn't lift my head to see what happened. And… and what has happened to his brothers? He said… Miller said it had been you who had done that to them. And I can't believe that, because you were alone and they were a group of four. And you were bleeding and lying on the ground when I came to you, but then again you seemed rather lively when we landed in your house…"

"Draco, stop, stop. You're babbling." Harry stopped Draco and rested his hands on the blond's shoulders. They stood close to a huge, old oak that began to shed its leaves in the dank autumn weather and the wind blew through the half-naked branches.

Draco huffed indignantly and shook Harry's hands off his shoulders. "I didn't babble. I mean, I don't babble… ever." Harry chuckled in response and grinned childishly at the former Slytherin.

"Another Malfoy trait?"

"No. Another 'Draco' trait. So, remember it, Potter, if you want to keep me around." The blond huffed snootily, but not long, before he squeaked when Harry's hands wrapped around his waist and he was pulled flush against the hard body. A cold nose rubbed along the side of his neck, up to the spot behind his right ear and he shuddered when Harry's warm breath ghosted over his own slightly cold skin.

Attack is the best form of defence… if you don't know what game the other played, Harry thought, as the Gryffindor he still was. "Draco Malfoy doesn't babble. It's carved into my memory."

"Potter," Draco groaned and rested his body against Harry's. "stop trying to distract." Harry sighed and sent another puff of hot breath over Draco's neck that it took the blond great efforts not to tremble in Harry's arms.

"Let's make a deal." Harry said and manoeuvred Draco's body slightly away from his own. "You'll tell me something about you; answer my question. And I'll tell you something about me. How does that sound?"

"You'll answer my question?" Harry nodded and Draco nodded in response as well. "All right, you first."

The brunette smirked and let go of Draco. "N-N. You first. After all, last night you promised me to tell me."

"I didn't." Draco called out indignantly and took another step back from Harry. He looked around the other young man and saw the dogs romping on the field that lay already fallow at this time of the year.

"Aha!" His eyes shifted back to Harry and he saw the even broader smirk. "So, you do remember last night."

"No one said I don't remember." Draco retorted with a well-trained Malfoy sneer across his face. He stared at the muscular young man, but sighed in defeat when his gaze didn't intimidate him the slightest. Harry looked at him with eyes full of warmth and the longer he watched the smirk on those full, rosy lips, the more he saw the same warmth and no mockery or disdain.

Draco heaved a heavy sigh and leaned with his back against the trunk of the oak. He could hear the dogs bark nearby, but didn't look for them this time. His eyes focused on his feet, but he knew, he felt Harry's eyes on him.

"There's not much to tell, Potter. I left to make my mum's life easier."

Harry's eyebrows scrunched up in question and he opened his mouth to press Draco on telling him more, but his mouth snapped shut with a silent smacking sound when Draco began to tell him the story of his last three years.

"Shortly after you'd defeated he-who… Vol– de– mort…"

"I didn't do it alone." Harry piped in and lifted his hands to appease when he was greeted with grey glaring orbs. "I'll shut up now."

"Well, after he was dead, Aurors showed up at our home on behalf of the ministry. They showed me an application, approved and signed by the minister, that I was found guilty as a Death Eater of Vol… Voldemort's inner circle."

Draco looked up at Harry. He expected to be interrupted again. He had hoped he'd be interrupted, that Harry would defend him, would rage against the ministry and assure him that he knew that Draco was no Death Eater and had never been. But the brunette kept quiet. Malfoy could see the anger seethe behind those green, big eyes, but Harry tried to breathe his fury away as though he did Yoga.

"They had been instructed to seize me and directly bring me to Azkaban, without any trial or any chance to defend myself. You know yourself that at that time the ministry made short shift of anybody who could be associated with dark magic, Death Eaters or the dark lord. And I, with the father I had and the reputation, was another perfect scapegoat."

Harry's breathing was so heavy by now that Draco feared he would hyperventilate and faint any minute. He clenched his fists in rage that the white of the knuckles formed a sharp contrast to his usual skin colour. So, was he now angry with Draco? Or with the ministry? Or what was going on? Why did Harry sodding Potter all of a sudden decide that this was the perfect moment to begin listening to Draco's wishes and keep his mouth shut?

He leaned his head back against the tree trunk and stared up at the branches. Maybe it hadn't been that smart to tell Potter about this. What if he really considered to hand him over to the ministry? Or worse, if he had considered it, but had dismissed the idea and found new interest in the idea, now that he knew Draco was wanted by the ministry.

"Go on!" Harry hissed through clenched teeth and Draco twitched like a scared gerbil. He jerked his head forward and his face scrunched up in pain when single blond hairs got caught in the bark of the oak. He rubbed the back of his head where said hairs had been ripped out and stared down at his trainers.

"It was probably just a coincidence, but it saved my life that Tonks was among the Aurors. She knew that I never, you know, took the mark. She couldn't do anything about the sentence of imprisonment, but tried to help me otherwise, because she thought the ministry was out of their minds."

The blond sucked air in until his lungs were filled to the brim and he exhaled very slowly to get his emotions under control. He knew he had said that he would tell his story, but it was a very tender topic for his sore psyche and Harry was the first to ever hear it from his point of view. And that he didn't know what Golden Boy thought so far made it even harder.

"The thing is that, after my father was_ killed in the war_" Draco spat the words in disgust. They both knew that he had been his father's killer to save a mudblood that he didn't need to vocalise it. "I automatically inherited the entire Malfoy fortune, but with me imprisoned in Azkaban everything would have been reaped by the ministry and my mother would have been left with nothing."

Scylla came running with her favourite ball in her mouth and dropped it between Harry's and Draco's feet. Neither moved and the Appenzeller Sennenhund whimpered and shoved the ball with her snout closer to Harry's feet that he would bend down and pick it up to throw it for her.

"Not now!" Harry growled angrily and kicked the ball away. Scylla whimpered again and followed the ball, albeit less enthusiastically. Draco wanted to follow suit. This wasn't the warm and loving Harry that had held him all night, this was the Harry Potter that Miller had had to deal with yesterday. Draco gulped and squared his shoulders.

He. Wouldn't. Fear. Harry. Ruddy. Potter. Ever!

"My cousin had talked immediately to Severus after she had been told about the sentence, because despite any rumours my mother got along well with Tonks and she wanted to help her aunt. Well, Severus gave her some advice and my cousin showed up with papers that allowed me to sign over the Malfoy fortune to my mother. My mother was never associated with Voldemort and therefore they couldn't take her property. Besides, you know, with her being a Black and them not trying to make the same mistake a second time they kept their distance even more."

Harry nodded curtly and his face remained stony. Sirius' name had been cleared about the time when the war had been over, but that hadn't brought him back and would never. He was dead, convicted or not.

Draco realised for the first time that it was quite cleansing to get this all off his chest for the first time. Even though he didn't know what Harry would do afterwards, he would tell him everything. Boy-wonder had saved him two times already and gave him food, clothes and shelter and more importantly warmth and support, if that didn't deserve to be rewarded with honesty what else would be worth the truth?

"So, yeah, when they showed up at our Mansion, Tonks pretended to search my pockets for my wand and used it to stun the other three Aurors with it. She handed me the forms and I apparated quickly to Severus to get his signature as a neutral attesting witness. Of course if anyone would have known that they had an affair, they wouldn't have accepted the …"

"WHAT? Snape and your mother?"

Draco raised his eyebrows in astonishment. He hadn't expected any reaction of Potter anymore. And now Golden Boy freaked about such triviality? Malfoy wanted to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Severus and my mother. They are in a relationship since their Hogwarts time, or were, I don't know. The marriage of my parents wasn't anything but a convenience marriage. They were promised each other by birth and hadn't much say in it. They produced an heir," Draco pointed at himself. "me, and lived their separate lives. My mum with Severus, who's like a second father to me, and my father with his many men."

"Your father's gay?" Harry screeched and tore his eyes wide open. The anger he still felt was temporarily buried to express his astonishment.

"Yes. Problem with it?"

"Nono, not at all. Go on, please."

Please? Was Potter living with split personality or was he suffering crazy mood swings on purpose?  
Draco leaned his head back against the tree trunk and watched Potter's eyes turn back to a normal size and the anger creeping back into the green expressive eyes. Violent mood swings. Definitely!

"Well, I handed my mother the papers with Severus' and my signatures, when I was back home. Then I changed the Aurors' minds that I had attacked them, not Tonks, hugged my mother goodbye and left."

He felt tears pricking his eyes like tiny needles, but he would endure the pricks instead of allowing Potter to see any weakness. He wouldn't tell him that he had cried for three long days like a baby, because he had been forced to leave his beloved mother. He wouldn't tell him that he had considered more than once, over the last three years, to give himself up to the ministry only to see his mother again. That was too personal, even though he wanted to take some burden off his own shoulders.

"At first it was rather hard. All of a sudden I had nothing, no clean clothes nor money for food. I had no idea about the conventions of muggles and received in the beginning a lot of curious stares. But I managed, otherwise I wouldn't be here now. I took a lot of jobs that no one else wanted to do. I did everything, from grocery shopping for old ladies, to scrubbing the cum off couches in swinger clubs, to helping an undertaker getting the dead six feet under. Brought in money, I did it. Once someone tried to encourage me to sell my body, because he thought I was pretty."

Draco heard the sharp intake of breath, but didn't think about it. Potter was probably just too shocked that a Malfoy talked about prostituting himself.

"I won't deny it, I thought about the offer, it would have been easy money, but in the end I didn't do it. I couldn't do it. I didn't want to give my body away to someone I didn't like or desire."

Maybe he shouldn't talk about desire in Potter's presence…

A fist slammed into the trunk, right next to his head and Draco yelped and jumped aside. "What the fuck? Are you insane?" Draco's heart was beating maniacally and he couldn't turn his eyes away from Potter's fist. He heard the hard, compelled breathing and felt the mad magic radiating from Golden Boy. How had he been able to suppress all that energy before?

Potter took his hand slowly down and Draco's eyes widened more. The bark peeled circularly off the trunk where Potter's fist had been seconds ago, and revealed the white, unharmed wood. Actually, if he looked closely he could also see small cracks in the wood.

"How… how, did you do that? How…?" Malfoy asked shocked, fear, he didn't want to feel, wavering into his voice.

"I'll kill him!" Harry growled. He lifted his head and looked at Draco. He focused on him and the blond didn't feel like he looked through him again. "Because of him, I was left in the dark for three years, couldn't find peaceful sleep because I couldn't find you."

Harry took a step towards Draco and wrapped his arms around the skinny blond. "I'll fucking kill that bloody minister." He mumbled in the blond tresses and didn't seem to notice the tenseness of Draco. "I could have made you mine three years ago, but because of him I needed to live without you and sometimes feared you were dead."

Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he glared at the brunette's shoulder. He slightly shook his head in disbelief and pressed his hands flat against Potter's jumper clad chest to push him away.

"Potter, what are you talking about? Make me yours? Live without me? Are you delusional? No, wait, I can answer that question myself." Harry tightened his embrace again and pulled Draco back against his chest.

"Merlin. Draco, don't you see it? Do I really need to say it? I thought you sensed something when I touched you, when I kissed you…"

"Yeah, and when you told me that you're not gay." Malfoy grumbled. He heard Potter snort against his neck and felt the anger start to seethe inside again.

"You really resent me for that, eh? But it's true." He pressed a kiss on Draco's cheek. "I'm not homosexual. Well, maybe a little. But neither am I heterosexual. I think I'm completely Draco-sexual."

This time the blond couldn't hold back and burst into giggles, but choked on them when Harry leaned back and looked at him unsmilingly.

"I'm totally besotted with you, since we fought side by side against Voldemort. I love you, Draco Malfoy." Harry's lips were on his before he could form one coherent thought and he simply succumbed to Boy-wonder.

--  
Please, don't hate me too much for the delay and press the cute, little review button. Thank you!


	12. Chapter 12

Hello everybody. It's been a month, eh? But I told you before that it would take some time for the next instalment. Thank you for your patience and that you're still with me and this story. KISSES!  
I'm really, really busy. My new job takes up most of my time and I don't have that much time anymore to write. It's quite sad, because my muse created so many ideas while I had no internet… sob.

So, yeah, I reckon with many curses and angry reviews for this chapter, but I promise it will be worthwhile. Perhaps I can break the 200reviews mark… grin.

Anything else worthy to be mentioned?... Oh yeah, a while ago I said in chapter 14 I'll reveal Harry's secret… well, perhaps I'd been a bit hasty with that 'promise'… let's make it chapter 15/16, okay??

--

BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE

BETA: Chris (boy, where the heck are you?)

Chapter 12

"AH! I'm up! I'm up!" Draco cried and fell out of the bed and on the floor with a loud thud. He sat up and his eyes frantically scanned the room until he realised where he was. With a loud sigh he leaned against the bed and tried to calm his heavy beating heart. What had startled him so much to fall out of bed?

He heard the infernal noise from downstairs and knew what had woken him. The mad barking of all three dogs.

The blond sprung up from the floor and hurried down the stairs. He hadn't heard them being so hyper ever before. Their barking wasn't that deep and booming as that of male dogs and the one or other squeak made Draco's ears ring. He reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Mrs McTurner coming out of the kitchen and over to the front door, where all three she-dogs yapped.

"Oh, good morning Mr Malfoy, I'm sorry, if they woke you up. It's always like this if someone rings the doorbell." Mrs McTurner tried to pull the dogs away from the front door, but each time she let go of one collar the particular dog ran back to yap and jump around like a scalded cat. Draco wondered how she handled this situation without any help.

"Ammit! Scylla! Lilith!" he said sternly and was himself astounded when the dogs listened and fell silent. "Heel!" he called and pointed at a spot to his left. The dogs came over and peered up at him in expectation of praise.

"Thank you, Mr Malfoy." Mrs McTurner said with evident relief in her voice, when he kneeled down to pet the animals. "Actually it's only Scylla that reacts that badly to the doorbell. But the other two start barking as well, because they think they've missed something Scylla hasn't and simply follow her example." The doorbell rung again and the housekeeper winced that she had forgotten about the unknown guest. She opened the front door and looked up at a tall young woman.

"Good morning. Is Mr Malfoy at home? I'm bringing his new clothes." Draco listened up at that voice. He knew that overzealous voice. He turned slowly away from the dogs and stood up, only to look over Mrs McTurner's form at Rebecca, standing in the door frame.

"Hello Mr Malfoy, I'm bringing your clothes." Rebecca called over Mrs McTurner and lifted a big bag to wave as if it weighed nothing. He had been thrown out of bed – literally, and now he needed to endure Potter's favourite female? This would decidedly not turn out as one the better days of his life.

The housekeeper turned around to look at Draco and the saleswoman used the moment to squeeze inside the hall.

"Good morning, Rebecca." Draco said haughtily, but the red-haired beauty didn't notice the tone or didn't care. With her hands full of bags, she sauntered over to the living room and Draco's gaze flew over to Mrs McTurner. He knew his face showed the indignation he felt, but he saw that the housekeeper was no better. Her lips were pursed and her eyes followed Rebecca's every step.

"She's always like this. It's improper behaviour for a guest, especially from a young woman."

Always like this? Did that mean she was a regular guest? After all she knew the way to the living room without asking. Draco swallowed the green monster, called jealousy, that began growing inside of him and smiled at the housekeeper.

"It's okay, Mrs McTurner, I'll take care of her. Have the dogs eaten?" After all the things Harry had said (and done) yesterday, he didn't need to feel jealous, did he? Why was he always feeling so insecure when it was about bloody Potter?

"Yes they have just finished their bowls. Thank you, Mr Malfoy." The housekeeper said grateful and hurried back into the kitchen to do whatever she was doing before. Draco ran his hand through his unruly blond strands and inhaled deeply. He looked down at the dogs that sat still and good by his side. He buttoned the shirt of his pyjama and felt finally calm enough to face Rebecca.

The bags of clothes sat on the couch and her stylish coat was thrown over the backrest of the same piece of furniture. The young woman herself stood by the patio door and looked out into the garden. It was a fairly nice day and a welcome change to the grey autumn weather.

"I had no idea you would bring the clothes." Draco said and kept a polite distance to the red head that it was far enough to quench his antipathy, but close enough to hide those efforts. Rebecca turned around and smiled warmly.

"Oh, from time to time we deliver the purchased items if one of our registered customers asks us to. And Saturday Harry asked me to deliver everything that I thought would suit you the best, after you suddenly ran away, sir."

He knew his cheeks weren't turning pink, but he had a certain feeling that they would, if the saleswoman would look any longer at him with those accusing eyes. But what else, than running away, should he have done back then? How should he have known that Harry was head over heels for him?

They, Rebecca and Harry, had gotten along so well and Draco had believed Harry, albeit reluctantly, when he had told him that he wasn't gay, that he hadn't seen another way than running away in his anger.

The blond ignored the young woman for a moment and looked out the window with this queasy feeling that bothered him since last night. What if Harry would take it back and replace him with Rebecca after what had happened yesterday?

_#Flashback#_

_"I'm totally besotted with you, since we fought side by side against Voldemort. I love you, Draco Malfoy." Harry's lips were on his before he could form one coherent thought and he simply succumbed to Boy-wonder._

_His arms wrapped hesitantly around Harry's neck that the fingers of his right hand got caught in the ponytail elastic. He growled angrily into the kiss and yanked the o-shaped elastic, with satisfaction, out of the dark, long strands to run his hands through the soft hair. The brunette moaned into the kiss and tightened his embrace._

_Draco ripped his mouth from Harry's and hissed in pain. "Shite, I'm sorry. Fuck! I forgot about your ribs. Draco, I…"_

_"It's okay." The Malfoy heir placidly said and tried to pull Harry pack in to another kiss, but Golden Boy turned his face away and stepped back from Draco._

_"No, it's not. I tell you that I love you and hurt you seconds later. I must not forget such important things." Harry grumbled with evident self-loath. "Maybe we should go back now. The rain's getting heavier and the dogs look like mud lumps."_

_"But…"_

_Harry whistled for the dogs and gave Scylla a lengthy pet in apology for his earlier snapping. The rain, that had started only minutes ago, turned quickly into a heavy downpour and Harry attached the leashes in a hurry to the dogs' collars that they couldn't run off again and wallow in mud._

_Without looking back at Draco or even asking to follow him, Harry set off at a swift pace. The blond remained rooted to the spot for a moment and watched him utterly gobsmacked. What the heck had just happened? Or not happened? Hadn't Harry been about to ravish him senseless, only seconds ago?_

_He furrowed his eyebrows in discontent and followed the little group at a slower pace. Yes, he was disappointed, but still too proud to run after Potter. He wouldn't beg him to continue. No, definitely not. He wasn't THAT starved for affection. And he definitely was not one of Potter's dogs that hungered for every so small pet and word of praise._

_When he reached the house the dogs were already dry and Potter was not seen. He had shut himself in his exercise room and Draco could hear the groaning of the gym equipment. He didn't see him for the rest of the day._

_He had considered knocking – about 200 times. Okay, that was slightly exaggerated, but he had stood in front of the door more often than he had fingers on both his hands. He had wanted to get Potter to have lunch with him, to come out with him and go with the dogs again, to have supper with him and several other occasions that had been, he later admitted, rather far-fetched to see Harry and hear what Golden Boy thought of him now._

_But he never knocked and spent another day in solitude. Fine, not solitude, but away from Harry. Not that he wanted to spend THAT much time with the git. And no, he hadn't eavesdropped at the bathroom door to the exercise room. Not at all – maybe a bit – maybe a bit more – okay, okay he had given up after he had spent almost forty minutes in an awkward position on the ground with his ear pressed to the door and his knees killing him._

_In the end he had gone to bed without seeing Harry that night and had gone so far as to allow Ammit, Scylla and Lilith to sleep on his bed, to get at least some warmth from another body and feel a bit loved._

_#End Flashback#_

_"-foy?"_ Draco felt Rebecca's hand on his left upper arm and snapped out of his memory.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Rebecca smiled, thinking that Draco wasn't completely awake yet, and went over to the couch to grab her coat. "I said, I hope you approve of the pieces I picked, but you daydreamed, eh?" Draco grumbled something, but the saleswoman ignored him once again. "I have to head back to work now. The bill's in this bag." She pointed at the meant bag and put her coat on.

"Don't bother, I know the way out. Bye, Mr Malfoy." She petted the dogs for a moment and hurried to the door of the living room.

"Rebecca!" Draco called. Still a bit baffled about the behaviour of the young girl. But he needed to get along with this woman. Maybe, if she would start liking him, she would turn Harry down, if he would pick her instead of him. The young woman turned around and looked at the blond patiently.

"Please call me Draco." A smile appeared on her lips and she nodded, before pushing the swing door open.

"All right, Draco. See you!" She waved and the swing door flapped in its hinges when she had left. Draco remained on his spot and waited until he heard the front door open and close again. His eyes wandered to the mantelpiece clock and his eyebrows rose slightly. Was it really already half-past eleven?

So what, he thought and shrugged. He had nothing that was worth getting up early, even the dogs were taken care of when he wasn't around. He went over to the couch and looked inside the first bag. Piece after piece of high quality clothing very neatly folded and piled in the big luxury version of a paper bag, but no bill in sight.

Draco looked into the second bag that had the same size as the first and was greeted with the same 'filling'. Oodles of expensive clothing, but no bill. His eyebrows scrunched up in determination and he grabbed the plaited handles of the first bag, turned the black paper bag upside down and emptied the contents without further ado on the wooden floor.

He scanned the clothes, Rebecca had picked for him, quickly, but with approval. The second bag was emptied the same way, after he hadn't found the bill in the first.

A black ISO C6 envelope fell out of the paper bag and glided unhurriedly down on the heap of, once neatly folded, clothes. Draco got down on his haunches and winced. The right knee was still sore and bruised and hurt a bit more in that position.

Long, slender fingers took hold of the black envelope that showed the same silver embossing as the black paper bag. He pulled the flap open and found a cream white card, again adorned with symbol and name of the shop, inside. He gulped and wondered for the first time if he really wanted to know how much those clothes would cost.

The blond pursed his lips and nodded sharply. Yes, he wanted to know, even if only to berate Potter for spending so much money on him. He pulled the card out of the envelope and opened it. Inside he found a few words of thanks for choosing their products and a small folded letter. Draco unfolded the letter and lost his balance. He fell backwards and landed on his behind with a yelp.

_2.879,53 GBP (578.3.20)_

578 Galleons. 3 Sickles. And 20 sodding Knuts. (1)

The dogs bustled around him and he needed to shoo them off the clothes not to dirty them. With eyes still the size of peaches he started up to his feet and shoved hurriedly all clothes back into the bags that they wouldn't get soiled.

What was Potter thinking to pay that much money for ruddy clothes? Hadn't he said he hadn't that much money anymore and had two jobs to make ends meet? But then, why did he have a housekeeper and how did he pay all the clothes that hung in his wardrobe?

Draco shoved the last shirt in the bag and almost dropped the full bag when he heard a quiet chime and the fireplace flare up seconds later.

Hermione Weasley's head appeared in the hearth, completely unperturbed by the hot, angry flames that licked at her skin.

"Harry? Mrs McTurner?" The young mother called in hope someone had heard the chime. Draco looked at her and sighed. Mondays weren't his favourite days of the week.

"Granger." He said unbiased and went closer to the fireplace to flop down in front of it. The dogs joined him and he buried his right hand under Ammit's ear. Even with the fuzzy image the fire offered he could see that the witch had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair fell softly around her face and missed the bushy look entirely and if she would stop gapping at him, she would certainly earn some more points on his scale.

"Malfoy." She gasped and Draco saw tears welling up in her eyes. God, please, no! He couldn't handle crying women. No matter if it had been his mother or Pansy, he had always felt completely lost and helpless. He never found the right words to make them stop and stood next to them like a total berk.

"Yes, it's nice to see you, too, Granger." Draco said teasingly and it had the anticipated effect. The tears vanished and a small smile appeared instead.

"It's Weasley now." She said and the blond wasn't sure if the fire just had gotten brighter of if it had been Grang… eh, Weasley herself.

"Too bad. The she-Weasel name's already taken by Weasel's sister that I've to keep you calling…"

"Hermione. How about calling me Hermione?" The former Gryffindor know-it-all smiled at him warmly and suddenly she wasn't that annoying anymore. Was it really that easy? He got along with Harry and all of a sudden Weasel and Granger accepted him therefore?

"All right, Hermione. Potter's at work, but I can get Mrs McTurner for you."

"No actually, if Harry's not around, I can tell you, after all you're concerned as well."

Draco's eyebrows rose noticeably and his hand stopped petting Ammit's head. "Okay." He answered hesitantly and licked his dry lips. Did she want him to leave Harry, to vanish out of Golden Boy's life? No that wasn't possible, otherwise she wouldn't allow him to call her Hermione, right? Right?

"Go ahead!"

"I wanted to invite Harry and you to dinner tonight. We haven't seen him in a while and when he visited me in the hospital last Friday I sent him home after a while that you wouldn't be alone. And I thought it would be nice to…"

Draco had stopped listening after the first sentence that he didn't bother stopping Hermione's blabbing. His eyes were wide open and he wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly or if she was taking the mickey out of him.

"Gra… eurm, Hermione?" he interrupted her quietly. "Me?"

The young mother laughed softly about Malfoy's astonishment and nodded. "Of course." She said matter-of-fact and smiled at him, which unsettled Malfoy a bit – never before had he seen Granger smile at him and all of a sudden she was nice and warm towards him? "You're with Harry now, aren't you?"

The blood shot into his head and he felt the heat in his cheeks. Was he really with Harry? How he hated his own insecurities! "I don't know if it is that easy." He answered truthfully and stared in his lap.

Hermione sensed his discomfort and wondered what had happened. Maybe she should have a little talk with her best friend. "Draco?" she said and was suddenly confronted with grey eyes that showed the full range of emotions from anxiety to anger.

"I'd be happy if you'd accompany Harry tonight. Let's say somewhere about seven?"

"Okay, I'll come with him." Draco agreed and hoped it wouldn't turn out as a big mistake. They said goodbye to one another and Draco stared a moment or two into the dying flames.

--

"Hello, Margarete." Harry said cheerfully when he entered the kitchen, but frowned when it was empty. It was only two o'clock and usually, at this time of the day, his housekeeper was busy preparing dinner for him. He already needed to get accustomed to the fact that his dogs didn't greet him anymore when he got home, but now was his housekeeper missing, as well?

The brunette heard racket coming from the stairs and was seconds later run down by three tall she-dogs that tried to get their Master's full attention.

"Is Draco upstairs?" he whispered as if he planned something mischievous, when he got up off the floor and petted the dogs affectionately. "You'll stay down here." He ordered in a louder tone and the dogs sat down and watched him with big eyes.

The dogs followed him to the stairs, but sat obediently down and watched him climb the stairs to the first floor. Harry found Draco in his room and the sudden shine in his eyes was accompanied by a predatory grin. The beautiful creature, Draco was, leaned over the bed and rummaged through a pile of shirts, while being only clad in dark denim.

"Hey, Harry. What are you already doing here?" Draco greeted him. So, he had heard him. Oh, well. But he didn't turn around and Harry used the offered chance to pounce on his prey. Well, not 'pounce' in the literal way of the word. He hurried over to the slender man and wrapped his arms carefully around the other's waist.

Draco squeaked in shock, but relaxed slowly when he was pulled against Golden Boy's body. Wet lips planted kisses along his neck, down to his shoulder and he shuddered. "What are you doing?" he breathed and tilted his head to the right side that Harry wouldn't stop.

"Hmm, been waiting all day to do this." Harry mumbled and ran his hands slowly over Draco's stomach. The blond tensed in the embrace and Harry pulled quickly back.

"Did I hurt you again?" he asked hesitantly and Draco, when he turned around, was greeted with eyes full of remorse. He knew this moment would turn pretty awkward, if he didn't do something quickly, but he didn't know what.

"No you didn't." The blond said. He wanted to reach out and touch Harry, and show him that he slowly had begun to come to terms with his feelings for him, but his insecurities held him back. Again. "But yesterday you didn't… and then you hid from me and I…" Suddenly he found himself in the embrace from before and snuggled closer, looking for warmth. He hadn't planed to stay that long shirtless.

"Sweet Merlin, your insecurities are so adorable… I didn't hide from you." Harry added quickly, before Draco could begin to object. "I was angry at me that I had hurt you and I needed some time to calm down. But today I couldn't stand it anymore and came home earlier."

Draco felt those brilliant lips back on his skin, but this time they worked their way down from his right temple to his mouth. "Besides…" Harry mumbled between those small kisses, he planted on Draco's rosy lips. "your check-up's today and I wouldn't let you go alone, would I?"

That did it. Draco snaked his arms up along Harry's chest, wrapped them around his neck and captured the other's lips in a heated kiss. Yes, this was exactly what he wanted and Harry didn't seem to protest any time soon either. He let his tongue inch slowly forward into Harry's mouth and moaned openly when the brunette bit gently down.

Harry broke the kiss after some moments and Draco wanted to protest and pull him back, but froze for a second when he saw the burning gaze that was directed at him. No matter for what he had been looking, he seemed to have found it when he kissed Draco quickly and pushed him on the bed, despite the expensive clothing.

Just by the touch to his bare back Draco could tell that he lay on a shirt of finest Egyptian cotton and wondered if Harry would buy him a set of bedding and sheets of the wonderful, but awfully expensive material.

How could he think about bedding and cotton when Harry stood in front of him with this gleam in his eyes? No one had looked at him like that for quite a time. A look full of adoration and lust.

And the insecurities he'd 'cultivated' over the last three years, came back at full tilt. Was he worth that look? "Harry?" he asked quietly and tried to cover his naked chest with his arms. The mattress dipped when the brunette kneeled between his legs and he shuddered at the touch of rough hands on his stomach.

"Don't." Harry whispered and pushed Draco's hands gently aside to roam his own over the beautiful expanse of pale, soft skin. The tips of his right index and middle finger traced every single rib until he reached the collar-bone. The soft touch of his lips replaced the touch of his fingers and he kissed a path up to Draco's ear.

"Draco?" he whispered and wanted to moan when pale hands came up to his head, combing through his long hair and taking the elastic with them that his hair fell freely over Draco's face and neck. "Please, let me…" he pleaded and didn't know how to end the sentence. "…I need to…" his hand cupped Draco's quickly swelling member and he bit his lower lip when he heard the blond hiss and cuss. "…can I?" he ended lamely and squeezed the erection through the coarse denim.

* * *

(1) approx. 5.758,87 USD / 3.659,68 EUR

Thank you for every new review. I hope you liked the chapter and I try to update faster the next time.  
Oh and I'm almost done with another short story. Do you mind some grammar mistakes and a bit of awkward words? (you know with me not being an English girl it always sounds a bit weird.) Otherwise I'd post it soon.  
I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Bye!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**: Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your wonderful reviews and showing me that you are not such lazy bums like they exist on other pages. lol.  
Well, anyway… I hope you'll like this chapter. I didn't end it that abruptly like the last one and it'll shed some light on Harry's secret. (But not more than a match could give. cough.)  
Enough of that. On with the story. And please tell me what you think about it. I'm a 'little' insecure, self-conscious girl, you know… +walks off after playing the pity card+

--

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA**: Chris

Chapter 13

_"Don't." Harry whispered and pushed Draco's hands gently aside to roam his own over the beautiful expanse of pale, soft skin. The tips of his right index and middle finger traced every single rib until he reached the collar-bone. The soft touch of his lips replaced the touch of his fingers and he kissed a path up to Draco's ear._

_"Draco?" he whispered and wanted to moan when pale hands came up to his head, combing through his long hair and taking the elastic with them that his hair fell freely over Draco's face and neck. "Please, let me…" he pleaded and didn't know how to end the sentence. "…I need to…" his hand cupped Draco's quickly swelling member and he bit his lower lip when he heard the blond hiss and cuss. "…can I?" he ended lamely and squeezed the erection through the coarse denim.  
_  
No answer came from Draco and Harry lifted his head slowly, in fear he had gone too far. The blond lay beneath him with his eyes tightly shut and his breath tense. He could still feel the slender hands in his hair, but they were trembling and not anymore stroking his head lovingly.

"Draco?" Harry asked hesitantly and lifted reluctantly his hand from Draco's erection.

"Don't!" The blond suddenly yelled; his eyes wide open and fixed to Harry's. "Don't stop. Please." He said quieter and dropped his head back on the bed. "Go on, please." Harry could see a cute blush on Draco's cheeks and could tell that it was due to embarrassment. Draco let go of his hair and covered his own eyes.

"Are you sure?" Golden Boy asked, his hand already back on the hot flesh. He leaned back on his shins and watched Draco for a moment. With his blond hair spread around his head, his lips a deep red, his chest heaving and falling and revealing every single rib.

"Fuck." He gasped and bit his lower lip hard enough that it hurt. He had it bad for the Malfoy heir if he felt a throbbing in his pants just from looking at Draco. Harry slid down from the bed and kneeled in front of it, between Draco's bent legs. His hands slid gently up along Draco's denim-clad legs and only stopped when he reached the waistband.

"Are you…"

"Harry, please." Draco whispered and answered Harry's question before he even had time to ask. His fingers opened the first button deftly and the other three of the fly followed quickly. The brunette pulled at the trousers and pants and Draco listened to the silent demand and lifted his hips.

Never before had his trousers and underwear been pulled down that sensually and he moaned openly at the feeling of the fabric gliding over his thighs. His hands were still covering his face and he actually tried to bite into the flat of one palm when he felt Harry's lips pressing small kisses along his thigh to his obvious hardness.

Three years. No, more than three years had passed since the last time he had been treated like this, since he had gotten any sexual affection. Harry's lips wrapped around his glans and he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself and come in five seconds flat.

"Harry." He moaned and didn't know if he should be thankful or whine when the warmth vanished from his glans. He decided to be thankful when a tongue licked its way down to the root.

"Harry, please." Draco begged again and it was exactly what Harry had waited for, for three long, exhausting years. It actually was so surreal to him that he now really had his secret love in front of himself and to make it even better, in a naked and wanton pose. Only this small piece of his mind that wasn't clouded with lust, kept him from jumping Draco and maybe scaring him, because everything went too fast.

One hand rested on Draco's hip to rein in the blond, the other ran slowly up Draco's thigh before wrapping around the base of his cock. He pumped it slowly once before Draco whined and sat up to look at him. "Come up here, please."

"But… but I couldn't… then…" Harry stuttered, a bit thrown off the track that Draco didn't want his mouth around his cock.

"Please." The blond whined again and Harry sighed. How could he deny his love anything? He let go of the erection and crawled on the bed. Draco guided him that he lay partly on the smaller, slim blond, with his right leg resting between Draco's. The moment he lowered his prone body on the blond, two arms snaked around his neck and pulled him hastily down into a ravenous kiss.

He felt the need behind the kiss, he felt the desire pressing against his flank and could only think about getting closer to Draco, even though there wasn't much more left he could do. Harry grabbed hold of the shoulders and rolled them around in one swift motion so that Draco lay on him now and he could feel his weight on him. He knew that it was stupid, but like this it really felt as if he was closer to Draco, when his weight kept him down on the mattress.

"Harry." The blond moaned and this time his naked leg slipped between Harry's covered ones. He rocked against the brunette to find some relief and forced a strangled moan out of Harry when he pressed down on his covered erection. Hot, open-mouthed kisses were planted on his pale neck and chest and mingled with bites that hurt and spurred this indefinable feeling inside of him.

"Har- Harry… need to… can I…" he asked, sounding almost bashful. He sat up, astride on Harry's left leg, the brunette's shirt tightly fisted in his hands, and kept rocking his hips. The coarse jeans material felt strange and created a new sensation that wasn't unpleasant. One of Harry's hands, that had kept his hips in a tight grip so far, took hold of his erection and he fell once again forward on Harry's chest.

The brunette groaned when Draco's thigh pressed against his own erection and his hips bucked up once on their own accord. "Please." Draco whimpered against his lips and Harry thought he might come from that sound only, but his undoing was the breathtaking kiss Draco inflicted on him, that he accepted only too willingly. He and Draco groaned both into the kiss and he felt Draco's cum running down his hand, while his own had soiled his pants.

Draco let go of Harry shirt and lifted his head to look down at him. His lower lip beautifully tormented by his teeth, he smiled bashfully at Harry and fell sideways on the bed, after Harry had kissed his nose. "I'm sorry, I ruined your trousers." The blond said quietly, slowly coming down from his high. Harry chuckled and rolled over to nuzzle Draco's neck.

"Don't worry. You've seen my wardrobe, I've plenty."

"Yes, that comes in quite handy." Draco said, feeling serene. His right arm snaked around under Harry's neck that his fingers could vanish in the thick, soft locks and massage over the scalp. "Especially since you can't show up like this at Hermione's tonight."

Harry lifted his head from Draco's upper arm, where it had perfectly rested to watch down along the blond's naked body, and looked Draco in the eyes with one raised eyebrow. "Hermione firecalled around lunch time and invited you to dinner tonight." Draco revealed and smiled sheepishly at his lover. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but got a bit… sidetracked."

"Hmhm." Harry hummed against Draco's neck, he had returned to. He bridged the slender body with his right arm and fisted his hand in a shirt, he guessed, at the other side of Draco. "I won't go if you're not invited, besides I…"

"Actually," Draco interrupted him, sounding a bit breathless. "she invited me as well."

Harry let go of Draco's neck that sported now a fresh 'bite wound' that turned quickly purple, and looked down into grey eyes that showed some insecurity again. "She did?" The blond just nodded. "Oh." Harry rolled away from Draco and sat up. "Then I'll need to cancel my work for tonight."

That triggered something in Draco's mind and he sat up as well to grab hold of Harry, but the brunette already stood and headed for the door. "Wait." Draco called, while jumping up and putting his pants and trousers back on. Harry turned around and watched Draco dress, with interest. "You promised me yesterday to answer my questions about your second job, when I tell you about my last three years." He mumbled while putting on some random jumper.

"I… oh… I did, didn't I?" Harry stuttered and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, before grasping some long strands. "It's actually nothing mentionable." Draco turned around and began to collect the rumpled clothes from his bed and folded them neatly.

"But you promised me and I want to know that I can be sure you're okay." Despite his uneasiness Harry grinned goofily at Draco's back, when he heard him admit his worries.

"It's nothing big… I… let's say I take care of some bad guys." Draco stopped in his motion when he heard Harry's half-truth, of course unaware of the fact that it was just a half-truth. He put the shirt, he held in his hands, down on the bed with shaking hands.

"So, you're a security guard?" He asked quietly and Harry watched with terror, the muscles tense in Draco's back. Something was wrong here.

"Er, if you say… yeah, kind of." Harry beat around the bush and saw that it had been the wrong thing to say, when a pile of expensive clothing flew his way.

"Are you out of your bloody mind? Or are you really that retarded?" Draco screamed and heard the dogs bluster the stairs up to them. Harry looked at him with wide eyes, holding a black t-shirt and three socks in his hands, while the rest of the clothes lay in front of him on the floor. What moment had he missed that the atmosphere turned from post-orgasmic bliss to 'rip-him-to-shreds'?

"Eurm, Draco…?"

"You tell me that you need to go moonlighting, because otherwise you couldn't pay the bills. Then you buy me clothes for over five-hundred-seventy Galleons and tell me you work as a security guard? And you know what? I don't believe you one fucking single word." Draco had worked himself into a thorough conniption and began to rip the clothes, he had put on moments ago, off his body.

"Security guards don't earn enough money to buy expensive clothes in bulk. Besides, why make a secret out of such a mundane occupation." He stripped naked and threw every piece at Harry, before storming to the wardrobe and snatching his own, old clothes and throwing them on.

"You are a liar, Potter. Tell me, is the affection as well faked?... No, I actually don't want to know." He shouldered his rucksack that had been with his own clothes, and ran around Harry out of the room. He kissed Ammit quickly on the nose and blustered down the stairs, like the dogs had come up before.

"I hope you had some fun, Potter." Draco screamed and slammed the front door.

Harry still stood at the same spot with the t-shirt and the three socks in his hands, as if turned to stone. Frankly, he had no idea what had just happened. He and Draco had moments ago lain on the bed, enjoying themselves, hadn't they? And now Draco had seen through his web of lies and had bolted in anger? Why hadn't he stayed, hit him and screamed and afterwards they could have had brilliant make up sex.

He dropped the clothes to the floor and turned to the dogs. "You stay and watch the house." He ordered and bolted down the stairs, almost stumbling over his own feet and falling down the last five steps. In mere seconds he was out of the front door and yanked the garage door open. Within the next seconds he was on the bike and on the street. The stain of Draco's cum on his trousers forgotten for the moment.

Why was Draco always running away instead of facing confrontation?

--

The silence was deafening. If not for the clinking of the cutlery on the plates, Hermione would have started screaming to agitate one of her babies to get away from this suffocating atmosphere. She growled lowly, what was rather odd for her, and slammed her fork on the table top.

"Enough!" All three men looked up from their plates and goggled at her curiously. She took a deep breath and smiled at her husband. "Ron, please be a darling and take care of Jason, while I feed Lena in the kitchen, will you?" Ron nodded and got up to get his daughter and son out of the portable playard that stood in the corner of the living room, beside the dinner table.

"And you…" She looked at Harry and the young man knew he was in trouble. "You will come with me." The brunette gulped, but got up from his seat and followed Hermione into the kitchen. Hopefully Ron and Draco would go to his rescue if they should hear him scream. Although he didn't know if Draco cared enough at the moment.

Since the blond had run from the house they hadn't spoken one single word with one another. Harry had picked him up with his bike and had brought him to the hospital for the checkup. To his relief everything was healing quite nicely, but Draco had refused to speak to him at all. He had been glad that Draco had accepted the ride to the hospital, but it had incensed him to no end that the blond had talked to the doctor as though he had no care in the world.

Afterwards he had dragged Draco to the Weasley's without caring that he still wore the old, worn out clothes and not the new ones Draco had actually planned to wear. He was too… yes, he had been pissed off and jealous of the doctor. That Hermione's dinner had turned into something entirely different than she had probably planned, bothered his conscience a bit, but what should he do about it?

Harry leaned against the worktop while Hermione sat down on a chair with Helena in her arms and opened her shirt-blouse to feed the little creature that was only a couple of days old. The twenty-one year old watched with interest the interaction of mother and child that was happening so naturally as if it was already routine and it was once again glaringly obvious that he had not the slightest interest in women.

"What's wrong?" The young woman asked him, but kept her eyes on her daughter that happily satisfied her hunger. Harry looked at her with a sour look.

"You're angry that the evening is a mess." He stated and sighed. Hermione looked up at him and shook her head.

"Harry. How long do you know me now? Do you really think I care more about a dinner than you? You haven't talked with him the whole evening. What is wrong?" Harry trudged over to the kitchen table, pulled out one of the chairs and slumped down on it.

"We had an awful row." He mumbled and buried his face in his hands.

"That couldn't be more obvious." Hermione lightly jibed, but Harry took it without a comment, knowing that she only spoke the truth. She was done feeding her daughter and closed her blouse, before lifting Helena up to pat her back. "Come on Harry, I don't want to worm every single word out of you." Without asking Harry she shoved the baby girl in his arms and went over to the sink to wash the towel that had lain on her shoulder. She knew that he would remain calm, if he had her in his arms.

"It's about my job, hobby… call it what you want." He confessed quietly and watched Lena's eyes droop sleepily.

"What's his problem with you being a kindergarten teacher? He seemed to like my babies a lot." The young mother asked over her shoulder and wrung the towel out.

"No. I mean my other job." This time Hermione sighed heavily and leaned against the worktop.

"Don't call it a job, cos it isn't. It's barbaric and I'll never understand why you do it. Should I bother to ask what your body looks like beneath all those glamour? I don't even dare to."

"I know, but I'm glad that you accept it nevertheless." He stroked over the tiny head that lay in the crook of his arm and heard when Hermione took her seat across the table.

"I don't accept it, Harry. I surrendered and you very well know so." She didn't expect an answer from her best friend, having had this discussion often enough. She, and even Ron, had begged, beseeched him to give it up or he would wind up dead one day, but it must be in his genes to be as stubborn as a mule.

By now she and Ron had accepted that Harry did it to get some mental balance back. And if that meant to end up with a broken rip or a split lip or cut above the eye, he had said once, he would pay it only too willingly.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" She asked worriedly after a pause and Harry didn't dare look up.

"No. I… I tried to paraphrase it nicely, but he didn't believe me and ran away. He's always running away." Harry bemoaned, half expecting some consolation.

"Maybe that's how he now deals with lies. He hid for three years and one needs to avoid confrontation to remain invisible. You should tell him. If you really want to make him yours you can't have secrets or it will end nastily."

"I don't want it to end. It hasn't even begun yet." The brunette whined and cradled the baby girl closer as if she were Draco in small.

"Then tell him!"

"He'll worry too much. I can't… Mione, last Friday he was attacked by his old boss and I came just in time to save him. I thought my heart would stop beating when I saw him on the pavement, writhing in pain. I don't want him to feel the same worries; he's too many other problems at the moment. Besides he should rely on me and not worry about me."

"It sounds like you don't trust him… that he won't be able to cope with your 'hobby' or won't accept it. Or don't you trust yourself enough? What, if something happens to you?" Hermione said with some underlying accusation and Harry took the bait as if he had waited for it.

"I Do trust him." He protested as if he wasn't the grown-up kindergarten teacher, but a small, petulant child from his group. "Of course I trust him. I searched the whole world for him. I love him." Hermione could hear and see the panic that rose in her best friend. He tried to defend himself and began to ramble.

She reached over the kitchen table and rested her hand on Harry's upper arm to show him that she didn't need to hear any words of defence. "But do you really think that you love and trust him enough to accept his concern and worries for you?"

--  
You didn't think about leaving this page before reviewing, did you? Gasp. Don't you feel any shame? lol


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Hello. I'm really, truly sorry that it took me so long to update this story. Lots of work. Boss is a bugger. Lots of swotting sessions. Trying to learn Russian. Writing fanfic. Sigh. Bugger, where did my spare time go? But I'll make it up to you with this chapter, eh?

**Warning**: DON'T READ if you're offended by sex between two men.

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA**: Chris (who's as busy as I am sigh)

--

Chapter 14

Ron came into the kitchen with a crying Jason in his arms and handed him quickly over to his wife. "I believe he thinks you've forgotten him." He said and kissed Hermione on the forehead.

"Aw, I wouldn't forget my wonderful baby-boy." Hermione cooed at her son and tickled his belly, before throwing a clean towel over her shoulder and opening her shirt-blouse for the second time that evening.

Harry felt a painful tug at his heart and knew he needed to get out of the kitchen. He loved Mione and Ron dearly and their children as much, but seeing them in their ideal world, reminded him of everything he never had and it broke his heart. He stood up and handed Helena to her father.

"I'll go to Draco." He said and Ron nodded solemnly.

"You should get him away from the booze. He's already through half a bottle of Laphroaig Single malt." He informed Harry. "Don't you dare yell now and wake my daughter." He added hastily and made it quite clear that he wasn't joking.

"What?" Harry hissed. "Why didn't you take the bottle?"

"As if I haven't tried." Ron snorted and shooed Harry off to help his… what was Draco to Harry and vice versa, Ron wondered all of a sudden.

--

"Draco, love?" Harry called when he got back out of the kitchen and didn't find Draco at the dinner table. Even though they have had a _slight variance_ it didn't mean that he didn't care about Draco anymore. Hermione had given him a piece of her mind and he knew she was right. Draco needed to know. If he planned to live the rest of his life with him, Harry needed to tell him, and Harry was quite determined to bind Draco to him.

"Harry." Draco called, and Harry found him sitting on the sofa with a half empty glass in his hand and judging by the colour it was no water. "Hi, Harry Potter." Draco said happily when so-called young man stood in front of him, and grinned at him as if he tried to lighten the room with his smile.

"So you're a happy drunk, eh?" Harry stated and took the glass out of Draco's hand and put it on the coffee table. "Come on let's get you home."

"No. I won't go home." It couldn't be that bad, if he wasn't slurring the words yet, Harry thought and held his hands out for Draco, who shook his head stubbornly. "I want to play with Jason and Lena." He whined.

"The babies are sleeping, love, and you're drunk. Hermione won't allow you to play with them until you're sober again." Harry leaned down and grabbed Draco under his arms to pull him upright, but the blond simply lifted his arms and slid out of Harry's grip back on the sofa.

"I won't go with you. You hate me. I don't want." Draco pouted and Harry massaged his temples. So, he was one of those drunks that turned into a whiny, complaining, self-pitying mess. Harry didn't know if he should be grateful or… not! Well, at least he didn't turn into a bully.

"I don't hate you, dragon." Harry softly said and caressed the blond's cheek. "Come on, love, we'll drive home." He grabbed Draco once again and hoisted him up. All of a sudden Malfoy began sobbing and snuggled closer to him.

"You called me Dragon." Draco wailed and buried his face in Harry's shirt. "I'm sorry, so sorry. It's my entire fault. I won't run away again." Harry didn't know what to say and cradled Draco closer to hopefully sooth him.

"Remind me to never allow you to get drunk ever again."

"MIONE, RON!" Harry yelled after a short pause and smacked his hand against his forehead a second after. Both his friends came out of the kitchen with two protesting, but luckily not crying, babies in their arms.

"Thanks a lot, mate, for waking them." Ron grumbled and tried to rock his daughter to sleep again.

Harry heard Draco snigger quietly against his chest and he smiled sheepishly at Ron. "Sorry. I forgot. I actually just wanted to say goodnight, our little drunkard needs his beauty sleep."

"HEY, I'm no drunkard."

"Fine, then you're emotionally imbalanced." Harry teased and ran his hand over Draco's soft hair.

"Pft. As if." Draco grumbled. "G'night, Mione. Night, Ron." He said and teetered over to the door of the flat without glancing at Harry.

"I better follow him, before he runs again away." Harry said and didn't leave the blond out of his eyes. He didn't see his friends nod, but suddenly felt a small hand on his upper arm and spun around. Ron stood with both children at the kitchen door and Hermione looked up at him, Harry, and squeezed his arm.

"You'll tell him, won't you?"

"I… eh, yeah, I wanted to tell him when we're home, if he's able to listen." Harry said and looked frantically over to his Dragon, when the blond opened the door to leave the flat. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"I think that's the right thing to do. Thank you that you came tonight, but please, the next time make sure you had no spat before coming here, okay? Tell Draco, he's wonderful. Goodnight, Harry."

"Night, Mione. Bye, Ron." The brunette wrenched himself out of the embrace and grabbed his leather jacket, before hurrying out of the flat. Draco leaned against his motorcycle and Harry sighed in relief.

He took his helmet, Draco had played with, out of the others hands and put it on the blond head. He didn't want to say anything at the moment, because the silence that lingered between them was different than before, it was somehow pleasant and comforting. Draco stepped back from the bike and Harry swung his right leg over it and kicked the kickstand up.

The key found its way into the ignition lock and Harry hummed lightly when the machine came to life between his legs. Turning his head around to Draco, he realised once again how arousing he found the idea of Draco wearing his helmet and he wondered if he could persuade Draco to ever wear his leather combi suit once for him. It was probably a sight to behold and the idea sent most of his blood to his lower regions.

He whistled Draco over and the blond straddled the pillion – a bit shakily and he kept Harry's arm in a tight grip, but Harry's fear that he might tumble over had been for nothing. His left arm snaked around Harry's waist and he leaned close against the broad back. "If you ever whistle for me, as if I'm one of your dogs, again, we'll have a serious conversation." Draco hissed and closed the visor of the helmet.

Harry sniggered in delight, knowing that for the next twenty minutes he didn't need to think about his problems, but only feel Draco pressed against his back, and he moved off after he felt Draco's second arm securely wrapped around his waist. Even at this hour, in the middle of the week, the streets actually weren't empty and Harry once again used the chance to drive a bit more _adventurously_ that Draco would cling to him.

What he hadn't banked on was that Draco would turn the tables…

Draco's left hand loosened from his waist and for a second he panicked in his mind that Draco was falling off his bike and hurting his already battered body even more, or even die. But the right hand was still securely wrapped around his mid and his frantic heart slowed down in relief.

A red light paused their ride and he put his left foot to the ground for balance. They were the first in the row, cars lined up behind them and another biker wound his way along the cars to the front to halt next to them.

Harry figuratively jumped out of his skin, so that Draco, he and the bike would have nearly fallen to the ground, because his knee buckled when Draco's hand suddenly landed on his thigh, far too close to his suddenly very interested manhood. "Draco." He hissed, but knew that he wouldn't be heard. His eyes wandered around, trying to distract himself, and landed on the biker that waited next to them and watched Harry with a knowing grin.

The traffic light turned green and Harry dashed down the street. He didn't care if he'd get a speeding ticket as long he was away from that dirty old man. Draco's hand wandered higher and cupped his erection firmly. "Draco." He moaned helplessly, knowing again that Malfoy couldn't hear him because of the helmet and wind blast.

He didn't know why Draco was suddenly so bold when he had been incredibly angry with him until just half an hour ago. Draco's hand began to stroke his erection in slow, steady motions that Harry wanted to pull his motorcycle over and drag Draco from the pillion to bend him over the bike and… instead he bit the inside of his lower lip and hoped he wouldn't loose interest in driving his bike safely through the streets.

Draco was about to open the zipper of his jeans when he turned into his street and a sigh of relief left his lips when he saw his house. Harry drove slow enough that he could pull the blond's hand out of his trousers and zip them again, before he drove on his property.

In front of the garage door he stopped the engine and waited until Draco had dismounted the pillion, before kicking the kickstand down and dismounting the motorcycle as well. Harry didn't look at Malfoy. He opened the door and took the helmet out of Draco's hands without a word, and walked the motorbike into the garage.

Draco followed Harry mutely into the house, after the brunette had closed the garage door, and wondered if he had done anything wrong that Harry wasn't talking. They hadn't talked all afternoon, but he had thought that perhaps Harry would forgive him now…

The dogs 'attacked' before they had a chance to close the front door. Potter kneeled down and cuddled with his babies, even cooing at them and praising them for being such good dogs all day. He closed the door with a kick of his leg after standing up again and hurried over to the living room with his dogs in tow. Draco watched him completely gobsmacked, feeling 'only a bit' ignored and shuffled after the quartet.

--

Harry had opened the patio door for his dogs and watched them romping outside around and relieving themselves. Draco still felt a bit fuzzy, but he staggered over to the brunette to find out what had gone wrong. Harry saw him in the reflection of the window and pursed his lips in a devilish grin.

"Harry, wha-aaah…" Draco found himself suddenly pressed against the large windows and his mouth assaulted with hungry kisses.

"What was that now, Draco Malfoy?" Harry murmured against Draco's lips and the blond moaned unabashedly. He felt Harry's erection pressing against his hip and bucked his pelvis to let Harry know that he wasn't the only one with such sensitive problem. "Draco." The brunette said sternly, after breaking their kiss, and looked in Draco's eyes that were still dilated from alcohol.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I wanted to apologise that I ran away again. It felt like you were lying to me and I didn't know what to do but run away. I told you everything and I thought you liked me and wouldn't lie…" Draco rambled, seemingly not getting a straight thought formed.

"I like you, Draco… a lot."

"I know." Malfoy smiled shyly and brought one hand to Harry's covered erection. "Then let me do this, please." The blond slid down along the window pane, without waiting for Harry's answer, and kneeled, trapped between the window and Harry's legs. His hands went up to the waistband of Harry's trousers and green eyes watched him insecurely.

"Draco, you don't need to… we need to talk first."

"We can talk in the morning." The blond purred and pulled Harry's trousers down that they pooled around his ankles and prevented him from bolting. Not that Draco thought he would run away. In one swift movement the boxer-briefs followed and Harry gasped in shock. He hadn't thought that Draco would seriously undress him and so quickly at that. He had seen Draco naked and he definitely still wished to have sex with him, but now that he stood in front of Draco, with his private bits in close proximity to the pale, angelic face, he felt his throat constrict in nerviness.

Draco leaned back against the window and brought his hands around to the firm, small globes that Harry Potter called his behind. His eyes raked over the shaft that he had up to now only felt with his hands beneath Harry's trousers or pressed against his body and now it stood at attention for him. When that thought crossed his mind he smirked one of those little, evil smiles that hadn't been seen for a while on his face, and Harry, who didn't know what went through Draco's mind, thought he saw the young Draco from Hogwarts in front of him.

"Draco, wait… we don't… what if someone sees…" Harry panicked when he felt the blond's hands grasping his behind firmer and pulling him closer. The dogs were still outside, taking advantage of the extended 'play time' and ran around in the garden. Barking and snarling could be heard, but Draco couldn't care less at the moment.

"Draco… Draaa…" His mouth closed around the glans and Harry gave up trying to stop him. With the flat side of his tongue pressed against the vein on the underside, he let the shaft slide deeper into his mouth. A dull thud resonated in the room and Draco looked up to perhaps receive an explanation from Harry. His mouth tightened around the hard flesh when the corners of his mouth quirked in amusement and he heard Harry groan quietly.

The thud had been nothing else but Potter's head thumping against the window pane so that he was now bent over the crouching blond. Draco let the shaft slide out of his mouth to lift his head and saw that Harry was watching him intently, his forearms resting above his head against the pane. His breathing was shallow, but his eyes held such intensity that Draco thought they tried to urge him on when their eyes met.

No words were necessary and Draco lowered his head again. His hands still rested on Harry's behind and he let the fingertips of his left hand glide along the bum cleft when he leaned forward and rubbed the tip of his nose against the ridge between shaft and scrotum. His pink, little tongue ran along the sac before he began mouthing the balls one at a time.

Draco inhaled deeply and hummed in delight. He thought he could smell the manliness that radiated from Harry and his old, baggy trousers suddenly didn't feel so baggy anymore. He couldn't believe that giving Harry bloody Potter, the-boy-who-lived-and-lived-and-lived, a blowjob could be so arousing. But here he was, kneeling in front of Potter and enjoying the sounds that his teasing provoked.

"Oh God, Draco." Harry whimpered when Draco again hummed around one testicle. He looked down at the blond head that reflected the red light of the open fire, and hissed when the small devil blew cold air against his saliva coated balls. That was too much. Why was he such a tease? And where had he learned it? Harry growled lowly at the idea of his Draco pleasing someone else like this… this wasn't the right time to think about it.

"Dragon, please… please." The brunette begged, praying that it hadn't sounded too desperate. The blond head lifted again and he looked once again in stunning grey eyes that seemed to gleam roguishly. The left eyebrow lifted in this incredibly sexy way and Harry felt his pulse quicken.

"What are you pleading for, Harry?" Draco asked innocently, his confusion sounding quite convincing.

"Oh fuck, Draco." Harry moaned and tried to catch a glimpse of Draco's tongue when it licked along his shaft. "Please… stop being a tease." Malfoy's mouth wrapped again around his glans and Harry felt faint when Draco tried to mumble something that sounded like 'Uhum', around his dick.

The blond head began to bob and Harry's gaze was fixed to the soft strands that swayed back and forth with every move. He lowered his left arm and buried his fingers in the silken strands he longed to pull, but instead ran his fingertips along the scalp after remembering the pain he could still cause.

Draco moaned wantonly, loving the feeling of Harry's hand in his hair, and took him a little deeper in his mouth. Tears began to gather in his eyes, but he didn't want to stop giving Harry pleasure. It was a natural reaction of his body to his efforts of suppressing the gag reflex that tickled in his throat. "Fuck, Draco!" The brunette yelped, when he felt Draco's throat constrict around the tip.

The dogs reacted to his yelp with bellowing and Harry hoped that no one would be on the track behind the garden. The living room was only lighted by the fire, but it was probably enough to see their two figures and surmise what they were doing. But, on the other hand, why should he care what his neighbours thought?

"Fuck, Dragon, the… dogs…" Harry panted, when he heard his girls coming closer. Draco hollowed his cheeks, the sensor on the patio was activated by the moving bodies of the dogs that the light came on and Harry came with a muffled cry while his dogs ran through the patio door.

With his forehead still pressed against the window pane he slid down to the ground, panting heavily. The small beads of perspiration that had gathered on his forehead smeared along the pane and the sliding caused a squeaking sound. Draco leaned again back against the window, not to be squashed by Harry's heavy form and licked a last droplet of cum from his lip.

Golden Boy hadn't expected that to be the first thing to see when coming eye to eye with his lover. He groaned as if he was in sudden pain and rested his head on Draco's shoulder to avert his eyes from that tempting mouth.

Hearing the breathing and feeling the small puffs of air against his shoulder, Draco remained in that position even though his legs began to hurt. His hand went up to Harry's head and pulled, like many times before, the ponytail elastic out of the hair to bury his hand in the same strands. Was he cultivating some fixation?

With closed eyes he bathed in the warmth the physical closeness offered to him and listened to the sounds around him. He heard the autumn wind blow outside. He heard the sniffing of the dogs and all of a sudden Harry growled against his neck. "Lilith, stop sniffing at my bum!" Draco began giggling like mad at the image that popped into his mind and opened his eyes, only to see Lilith turning away from her Masters behind to sniff at the sofa as if it was some new item she didn't know.

The blond's giggling increased and Harry lifted his head from his shoulder to look at him with a mock scowl. "Oh you think that's funny?" he asked and a small smile tugged at his lips, as seeing Draco laughing so carefree. When he saw that he wouldn't receive more than a nod, because the blond didn't want to calm down, he pressed his lips to Draco's and coaxed him into a frenzied kiss.

"Let's go upstairs, yeah?" Harry panted after breaking the kiss, while putting his pants and trousers magically back on. Draco clung to him and looked at him with a goofy grin that screamed 'snogged senseless' all over and Harry thought he could stay like this forever.

"Can't." the blond said, his voice still raspy from the earlier… activity. "Legs fell asleep."  
Harry chuckled and gathered the blond in his arms. "Hey. Hey, what…" Draco protested when he was carried through the living room and up the stairs.

"I need to correct my former statement. I need to get you drunk more often." Harry said with a broad grin and pulled Draco closer to his chest when he stepped through the door of his bedroom. With ease, Draco had expected after all the 'carrying around', Harry dropped him gently on his bed and looked down at the blond.

The room was, as ever, dark and the windows were covered with thick curtains. The light from the hallway shone into the room and cast an eerie light on Potter. The dogs came slowly up the stairs, tired from their romping, and flopped down on their blankets near the bed. Harry made a movement of the hand, acting casually, and Draco heard the patio door close downstairs and saw the lights on the hallway die, while at the same time bedside lamps turned on magically.

"Stay with me tonight, will you?" Harry quietly asked and undressed slowly, down to his boxers. Draco's eyes were glued to every move Harry's hands made and he shifted on the bed up to the pillows, quite determined not to leave this bed any time tonight. He felt his eyes droop against his will, one of the many signs that the alcohol was taking its toll, and jumped slightly when he felt the mattress dip.

"Hey, are you falling asleep on me now?" the ex-Gryffindor asked amused and crawled on the bed.

"Hmhm, didn't you ask me to stay here?" Draco mumbled and snuggled further into the pillows.

"Right!" Harry laughed, shaking his head at the cute display Draco was. "But at least help me to get you out of your clothes first." The blond grumbled in protest, but sat up that Harry was able to pull his jumper and shirt over his head. He fell back on the bed and Harry crawled back to the end of the bed to take his socks off. Harry's hand slid gently over his denim-clad leg up to the waistband and he hummed his appreciation of the tender treatment.

His mind was fogged with fatigue, the day had been too exciting and straining to stay awake any longer… he felt Harry's fingers fumble with the jeans button, but his eyes popped open when the brunette groaned quite agitated and rested his forehead against Draco's stomach.

"Are you okay?" Malfoy asked tentatively and ran his hand through Harry's hair to feel it once again.

"You don't wear any underwear." Harry mumbled against Draco's stomach and grabbed the skinny hips of the blond tightly.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what the problem was. "Oh, well, yes I kind of forgot when I threw on some clothes to get out of here, you know?" That explanation didn't help Harry at all and he whimpered at the images that flooded his mind.

"Does that mean you went commando all the time when we were at Hermione's and Ron's and when you sat behind me on my bike?"

"Why, yes." Draco answered truthfully, not knowing what the problem was. The fatigue seemed to slow his mind.

"You will keep those trousers on tonight or you won't get any sleep at all tonight." Harry groused, pulled a blanket over their bodies and flopped down next to the still confused blond. A strong arm wrapped carefully around his steadily healing body and Draco shifted closer to the warmth that Harry's body offered. Suddenly he could feel what Harry's problem had been with him going commando. Draco chuckled and buried his face into the brunette's chest.

"That's not funny."

--

Hope you liked it. 'See' you next time! and don't forget to review. Hehe

Oh and one thing I forgot…  
Someone, I'm sorry I forgot your name, told me that they think it's unbelievable that a woman would breastfeed her child in front of someone else. I have to disagree, first of all, Hermione and Harry are friends for a long, long time now and if they feel comfortable in each others company it's no sideshow. Besides, I've seen many women 'popping out' their breast in the middle of a restaurant or cafe to feed their children and I'm not the least offended by it, cos it's natural. Innit?


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Woah, it's already a month again? How time flies. Busy. Irritated. Dissatisfied. Oh joy!  
I bollocked a test today, again, and treat my soul with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. Sigh.  
Well, anyway, off we go...

Oh, one more thing: I warn you and apologise in advance for the abrupt ending.

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**BETA:** Chris

Chapter 15

He didn't wake up alone. He didn't wake up feeling lonely. Small kisses were peppered along his shoulder and neck and Draco Malfoy awoke like he hadn't for more than seven years. With a smile.

Harry's arm was securely wrapped around his waist and the feeling of the strong body against his back made him feel safe and warm. "Good morning, gorgeous." Harry mumbled and resumed kissing the pale shoulder. "Hung-over?" he asked quietly and rubbed his nose against the small dent at Draco's nape.

He suppressed for a moment the urge to 'hmm' at the heavenly feeling and did a bit of 'soul-searching' to pinpoint some revenge of the evil alcohol. Nothing. Nothing, but the warm and fuzzy feeling, because of Harry being so close to him, not even his ribs were bugging him.

"Nuh-uh." He answered truthfully and snuggled further into the broad naked chest behind him.

"Pity." Harry sighed lightly and moved his hand from Draco's stomach up to his chest. His fingertips brushed over one small nipple and he felt it react to his touch. "Or I would have called in sick to look after you." Draco whimpered at the promises that innocent sentence held, but he knew his conscious wouldn't allow him to keep Harry at home, while small children sat crying in their kindergarten because their beloved Harry wasn't around.

"I'll take a shower now and then I need to go. You stay in bed as long as you want, okay?" Draco nodded, rubbing his cheek against the soft pillowcase. He relished the last kiss against his shoulder before he felt the mattress wobble and the wonderful warmth disappear from his back. That wasn't fair, he thought, only pouting a bit that Harry didn't stay nevertheless.

Soft steps on the wooden floor turned into silence, when the bathroom door closed quietly. Draco turned around on his back and looked with dozy eyes at the door across from the bed. He heard the water of the shower and sighed heavily. The moment was so tempting. Imagining Harry under the spray of water – naked – made his heart beat faster. But he stayed in the bed, otherwise, he knew, Harry wouldn't leave today for his job.

It was quite astounding that he wasn't hung-over. He hadn't been pissed for quite some time; not that he wouldn't have liked to, but no money, no booze, eh? Draco closed his eyes and let the events of last night replay in his mind.

The moment…  
… when Hermione had opened the door and had only raised her eyebrow at his sour look and Harry's forced smile.  
… when he had seen Harry with both twins in his arms and the adoration in his eyes that one could see why he had chosen to become a kindergarten teacher.  
… when he himself had held Jason and Helena in his arms and wanted to make them his.  
… when Ron had offered him a glass of fine Laphroaig single malt whiskey that had quickly turned into… half a bottle, a bottle? He didn't know.  
… when he had sat behind Harry on the black motorcycle and…

Draco's upper body shot up like a released arrow and his ribs retaliated for the hasty move and for last night's awkward position. He cradled his face in both hands and groaned miserably in mental and physical pain. Not only had he groped Harry fucking Potter on his bike like a needy whore in heat, but blown him without shame. The meds, joined with the booze must have done something to him. He groaned again and slumped back on the bed, not caring that it hurt again.

The bathroom door opened and Draco wanted to become one with the mattress. Keeping his eyes closed he waited for the inevitable, that Harry would drop a stupid, humiliating comment. The mattress dipped and Draco tensed when a hand ran over his blanket covered body. He felt Harry's breath against his neck and face, it smelled of peppermint toothpaste, and the aftershave he had used tickled Draco's libido.

"I waited for you under the shower." The brunette murmured as if he knew what Draco had wanted to do and kissed Draco's jaw line from ear to chin. "Are you sure you're not hung-over?" Draco heard the hope in the deep, husky voice and let it squash all those fears that had once again haunted his mind. He raised his arms and framed Harry's freshly shaved face with his hands.

Astoundingly green eyes looked at him and he wanted to do the same things he had done last night – except for quarrelling with Harry. Draco raised his head a little and placed an innocent kiss on Harry's lips. "Did you use that aftershave to tease me or the children's mothers?" He asked in a light-hearted tone and raised one eyebrow in question.

"Actually…" Harry smirked. The pale hands against his cheeks felt warm and wonderful and he didn't know if Draco did it subconsciously or not, but the tips of both index-fingers were time and again brushing against his earlobes and it made his head mushy. "I planned to tease the mothers a bit to get you all jealous and angry."

Draco shoved him playfully and masked his face with a mock-sulk. "Go, before I give you jealous and angry." Harry chuckled and took Draco's hands off his face to snog the daylights out of the young blond man before leaving for work.

---

"Good morning, Mrs McTurner." Draco bounced into the kitchen, wearing a set of his newly purchased clothes, with a broad smile plastered on his face. The sturdy, kindhearted woman was bent over the dogs' bowls and all three dogs waited patiently next to her until she was done filling the bowls with dry-food.

"Oh, good morning, Mr Malfoy." She said over her shoulder and picked the water bowl up to fill it with fresh water. The moment she went over to the tap Ammit, Scylla and Lilith threw themselves at their food. "You look really happy this morning." The housekeeper said satisfied and waddled back to the dogs with some fresh water. Draco smiled sheepishly and sat down at the table. Within minutes he was overwhelmed by the breakfast that Mrs McTurner served for him.

"It's good to see you like this." She added and handed him a big cup of tea, before turning back around and began washing the dishes.

"Mrs McTurner?" Draco timidly asked and watched her turn around and smile approvingly at him, after seeing that he really ate without complaining that he wasn't hungry. She dried her hands on her pinafore and her smile widened when he bit into his toast with her homemade strawberry jam on top.

"Yes, dear?"

"Could I… erm, perhaps floo-call Hermione Weasley after breakfast?"

"Oh, dear." The older woman said and shook her head lightly. "Of course! You're living here. I'm just the housekeeper; you don't need to ask me for allowance. It's your home, not mine."

Draco sat on his chair, a bit perplex and knew that he stared at her with wide open eyes. Hopefully his mouth was at least closed. Was he really at home here? He thought himself the guest…

"Mrs McTurner?" he asked again and hoped he wasn't annoying her too much.

"Yes, dear?" the housekeeper said with the same warmth as before and smiled that Draco couldn't find any irritation in her voice or appearance.

"Would you like to drink a cup of tea with me and tell me a bit about Harry?"

---

Draco took a bit floo-powder out of the small pod on the mantelpiece, kneeled in front of the open fire and threw the powder in the flames.

"Hermione?" he called after poking his head into the green flames and saying the Weasley's address loud and clearly. He heard the chime that announced his floo-call and half a minute later Hermione walked into the living room and a smile appeared on her lips after seeing Draco's head in the fireplace.

"Draco!" She called excitedly and the blond was once again amazed that she and Ron accepted him so easily and seemed even happy to see him.

"Hello, Hermione." He greeted her coyly and averted her look.

"It's nice to see you so soon again." The young mother said sincerely and kneeled in front of her fireplace. "I thought you'd stay in bed as long as possible and fight against a bad hang-over." Draco could hear the teasing in her voice, but kept his head down to hide the blush that now bloomed on his cheeks. She had hit bull's eye with that little, evil comment.

"Hermione, I… I wanted to apologise for last night. You invited me, even though you didn't have to and I behaved like a total Jerk. I'm sorry."

"Ah, pish-posh." Hermione waved it off with a gesture. "It was more than obvious that you two had had some differences." The blond lowered his head again and felt bad once again. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Really. As long, as you're fine again, everything's okay."

Draco was floored. Once again! A lot had apparently changed over the last three years. "Yeah, I'm fine… we're fine, thank you!" Images of the last night flashed through his mind and he felt hot and cold all over for a second.

"Did Harry talk to you?" Hermione asked with seriousness that hadn't been there seconds ago.

"About?" Draco asked and frowned at the young mother. He saw the discontent look on her face and the furrow between his brows deepened. "About?" He asked again when he got no answer.

"I have no right to tell you. I'm sorry. I just wanted to be sure you're okay with it." Hermione stammered and looked apologetically at Draco's face that she still saw surrounded by flames in her fireplace.

"Granger, don't fuck with me." The blond growled, feeling the anger rising in him. He knew that anger let him fall back into his old Malfoy-pattern and that it made him irrational, but Harry wanted to tell him something and that could mean anything… everything… and Hermione played the 'not-my-business'-card.

"Draco," she calmly said and Draco wanted to sneer at her. How dare she? "I can't tell you…"

"The fuck you can't." A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the Weasley household and Hermione jumped up from her spot on the floor to run to the crying one of her children. "Granger!" Draco yelled.

"I'm sorry, Draco. Jason will wake Helena, if I don't look after him." She called, half-way through the room.

"Granger! Weasley! HERMIONE!" Draco yelled, when she left the living room, and fell on deaf ears..

---

"Mr Malfoy, if you don't stop pacing, you'll walk a ditch in the floor. How about some lunch?" Mrs McTurner asked, sounding a bit desperate. Since he had ended the floo-call with Hermione, he was pacing up and down the living room and murmured inaudible things to himself. The housekeeper hadn't said a word at first, but after almost two hours she began to worry about Draco's mental health.

She didn't know what he and the young Mrs Weasley had talked about; she wasn't one of those nosy, avaricious housekeepers who sold every story about their famous employers to the tabloids, but she saw that it had aggravated the young man immensely and if she interpreted some of the mumbles correctly it was all about her boss, Harry Potter.

Hopefully the things she had told him hadn't triggered this… this… pacing.  
But, thinking back to the conversation they had had this morning, she couldn't remember having said anything that would throw someone into heavy soliloquies.

That she had been engaged by Hermione Weasley two years ago, because Harry hadn't cared about anything and hadn't cared about living in an absolute mess, had she told Draco. It had taken some time to win Harry's trust, but after a while she had learned that Harry had lost interest in life until he would find this special someone he never talked about.

Mr Malfoy had been openly shocked and had urged her to tell him more. Margaret had been pleased to tell him about her employer; after all it seemed like they meant a lot to each other and if she could help to strengthen this perfectly fitting relationship she was only too willing. She told Draco that she had practically forced Harry into a long, eye-opening talk to get him out of his funk. That he needed to get out of the house and start searching for his missing love or he would never find them. That he needed to start paying attention to his appearance that he could impress his love when he found them. And it had worked. Harry Potter had listened to the words of an old woman.

But, she had said, and had smiled at the cute blush that had grazed Mr Malfoy's cheeks, she had never seen him this happy before now that Draco was living in the house as well. Even the work as a kindergarten teacher hadn't given him this healthy glow all over, although he loved children.

There hadn't been said anything to aggravate Draco Malfoy so much, had there? "Mr Malfoy, please. Why don't you take the dogs for walkies?" With the same desperate undertone. All of a sudden the blond, young man stopped pacing, nodded curtly at her and stormed off to fetch the leashes for the dogs. In mere seconds he and the dogs were out of the patio door and the house was silent.

Time for a cup of tea, the housekeeper thought with a sigh.

---

"Oh, hello, Mr Potter." The housekeeper said surprised when Harry walked into the kitchen. She looked on her watch and realised that she had lost track of time while bothering her head about Mr Malfoy. "Oh my, it's that late already." She exclaimed and jumped up from the chair she had been sitting on with vigour one wouldn't expect from her.

"Is everything all right, Margaret?" Harry asked with a frown. It was quite unusual for her being this absent-minded.

"Yes, yes. Oh, my Winston will wonder where I am. Dinner is, as always, in the oven." She bustled about to clean the already clean table and her tea mug and hurried out of the kitchen door.

"Where's Draco?" Harry asked while following her, still wondering about the housekeeper's odd behaviour.

"Oh, he's outside with the dogs for quite a while now. He should be back soon." Harry groaned mentally; not again! Please, not again the same disaster as the last time. Mrs McTurner stopped in her hectic movements, to throw on her coat, and turned towards Harry. "Mr Potter, I know I've no right to say this, but I think you should talk to Mr Malfoy. He's a bit nervous today, after he'd floo-called the young Mrs Weasley."

"Hermione?" Harry cried and stared at the older woman with wide open eyes. Margaret McTurner nodded, as if she hadn't noticed Harry's panicky voice and closed her coat.

"Yes, the young mother. Goodbye, Mr Potter." She said, once again hectically and hurried out of the front door to get home to her husband.

Harry stared at the closed front door and gulped constrainedly. Well, Shite!

He heard Scylla howl in the kitchen and tensed heavily. With the sentence 'please, don't let him know yet' repeating in his mind in a loop, he went over to the kitchen.

---

Draco looked up when he heard the kitchen door open and schooled his face into an impassive mask. "Potter," he said, before the brunette was even half-way through the door. "we need to talk." Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows, but nodded nevertheless. He gestured Draco to close the patio door and cleaned the dogs' paws before walking over to the fridge.

"Beer?" he asked and Draco wondered for a moment if Harry asked him if he wanted one or if he called into the fridge and waited for the bottles to call 'Here' to find them easier.

"No, thanks, but orange juice would be nice." He answered, in hope that Harry had meant him and not the bottles. He heard a soft grunt in response and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Ammit take your nose out of the fridge." Draco laughed softly and whistled for the dogs to give them the last treat remnants he had in his pockets. Harry sat down across from him and put a carton orange juice and a glass, in front of him, on the table.

"Thanks." He watched the brunette open his beer bottle and taking a sip. He opened the cap of the carton and knew that this time Harry watched him pouring a glass and taking a sip. "So…" Draco said after a moment of silence and dragged the syllable while exhaling. "I think you have to talk a lot now."

Harry thought the smartest was to play dumb. He still didn't know if Hermione had blabbed or not and he definitely didn't want to put his foot in it. He answered Draco with a confused look and inclined his head to the left side.

"You still owe me an answer and Hermione said you wanted to talk to me."

"Not necessarily 'want'." Harry mumbled and waved it off when Draco asked him what he had said. "You need to promise me something before I tell you anything." He said louder, because Draco was meant to hear it.

"Potter, you're not in the position to negotiate, you're still…" Draco saw the pleading puppy eyes that Harry must have learned from his own dogs, and sighed heavily. "Fine, spill it." Harry thanked him with a small smile and took another swig from his beer to steel his nerves.

"No matter what I'll tell you now, even if it contradicts the things I told you before, I beg you not to yell at me or leave this room until I'm done. Please, listen to the whole story before you form a judgement about me or the things I tell you. Can you do that for me?"

Draco looked at him with uncertain eyes. His hands played with the empty glass, spinning it on the table top, and he couldn't look any longer at Harry and lowered his eyes to watch the glass. "Will you take it back that you… erm, like me?" He asked quietly, sounding quite coy.

The brunette young man smiled sadly at the wonderful, adorable, cute, insecure man across him, even though the other couldn't see it. He put his beer bottle on the table and pushed his body up, with his hands pressed on the table top. He leaned over the table and kissed Draco's forehead lovingly. "Never." He said honestly and kissed Draco's forehead again when the blond looked finally up at him with his grey, hope filled eyes. "I love you, Draco Malfoy and nothing and no one can take that away from me, no matter what."

Even though Draco tried to hide it behind his hair, Harry could see the blush and the small smile on the blond's lips, when he sat down across him again. He saw Draco nod and knew that it was time – he needed to tell him. "Okay, I'll listen, before I yell." Malfoy chuckled and Harry hoped that he would still laugh after he was done with his 'story'.

"Well… erm, before I go far back I should clarify some things." Draco nodded and mentally prepared for the worst. He kind of regretted now that he had declined the beer. "I am no security guard and I don't need to take up night shifts to pay the bills. I have enough money and I still make more." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Harry raised his hand in an appeasing manner. "I really donated the whole Black fortune, but I'll pay you off your share if you ask for it. And just to clear any questions about that topic… I didn't tell you about the money…"

"You lied." Draco interrupted in a no-nonsense tone and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Fine, yes, I lied. But I did it, because I didn't want you to stay with me because of my money, but because of me. Can you understand that? At least a bit?"

Draco didn't like to be lied at, but who actually did? Harry was somehow right. He, if he had known of the money, would have thought about staying with Harry because of the money and would have stopped thinking the moment his mind had settled with the knowledge that the man had money and wanted him. But now he had picked Harry, because he wanted Him; the money was just a nice addition.

Draco nodded, but kept quiet. Harry contented himself with that little sign of acceptance.

"You know that more than three years ago Voldemort was killed." Draco snorted and looked at Harry with one raised eyebrow. He was that close to roll his eyes.

"I know. If you haven't noticed, I was around when it happened. And don't just say, he was killed, when you had been the one who did it."

"That's a matter of interpretation." Harry only answered and got slowly up to get his second beer.

"Get me one as well, will you?" Draco asked and heard Harry chuckle into the fridge.

"Well, anyway…" Harry went on, when he plopped down on his chair. "Voldemort died and you left shortly after." The blond saw the pain in Harry's eyes. "The first year after, nothing had been different for me." Draco snorted mentally. 'Nothing different for me' my arse, he thought when he remembered Mrs McTurner's story. "Of course everything had changed for the wizarding world and everyone said that the dark times were finally over and they celebrated it. I didn't want to put a damper on that with my mood and decided for a quiet life."

Draco needed to bite the inside of his cheek not to comment on that choice of words. He had lived the life of a reclusive that was what Draco read between the lines. The blond grabbed the bottle, Harry had brought for him, and realised there was no bottle opener on the table. Harry noticed and with a wave of his hand the crown cork vanished from the bottle's opening. He raised his own bottle in a small toast and took a swig while Draco raised one brow at him.

"Almost exactly one year after the lunatic's death, things… started." Harry ended lamely and was prepared for Draco's look that simply said. 'Started? No, really? That, of course, explains everything. Not!'

"I started to get angry about inanities. I know, I always had problems with my temper and flipped my lid much too quickly sometimes, but that was somehow different. All of a sudden I wanted to hurt people, because I was angry with them. Draco," the blond jumped slightly when he heard his name. He had been listening intently and didn't expect to be addressed. "you of all people should know that, no matter how angry I ever was, I never hurt anyone intentionally. I hurt you badly with the Sectumsempra spell, I know, but I had been ignorant and dumb and wouldn't have used it against you if I'd known the power behind the spell. You know that, don't you?"

Draco took his time to contemplate the said things. He recalled their time at Hogwarts and needed to grant Harry that. When there was a chance he refrained from painful hexes and decided for the, still embarrassing, hexes, curses and jinxes, but they were always painless and without after-effects. The Sectumsempra 'incident' on the other hand… well, they both had had a bad day back then. "Yes, I think you were such a Hufflepuff." He said after a while and saw Harry's grin and the gratitude in his eyes.

But the happiness didn't last long and the gratitude vanished quickly again. "Sometimes I wasn't myself with all the anger and other times I wanted to slam my head against any available wall to get this hatred that I feel, out of my system. I think my friends were scared of me. They never said it" Harry added quickly and Draco felt the distress that radiated from him. "but they distanced themselves from me and behaved around me like I was a ticking time bomb."

The blond closed his eyes for a moment and took a sip from his beer that he wouldn't roll his eyes or say something inappropriate. He knew that it was Harry's moment to get everything off his chest – he'd had his own, after all, as well, and Golden Boy had listened patiently to everything he had said. But right now he didn't know how long he could take it. Draco thought Harry was jumping around the bush and repeated himself to stall.

"Hermione told me once that I was the worst when I thought too much about you and got upset about your disappearance."

---

Told you, didn't I? Cough.

I'd like to get some reviews, please. Thank you!


	16. Chapter 16

Hi everybody. Christmas is still a whole month away and people around me are already going mad with it. I hate to see all this red glittering shit and don't even let me start about annoying, stupid customers... I'm in a Scrooge-esque mood.

Thank you for every single review, I've gotten for the last chapter.

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**NOT BETAD – NOT BETAD – NOT BETAD – NOT BETAD**  
(because stupid-me forgot to send this chapter to Chris)

Chapter 16

The blond Malfoy stared with his mouth open and complete outrage at the man he wanted to call his lover. "Are you trying to tell me that it's my fault what happened to you? If something happened to you, that is,…" Draco slammed the beer bottle down and jumped up from his chair. The dogs snarled and came over to check on him. "BECAUSE YOU'RE JUMPING AROUND THE FUCKING BUSH!" Draco yelled. He breathed heavily and stared hard at an astounded Harry Potter.

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. With his hand he rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "Sorry. I shouldn't yell at you when you want to tell me something important. Sorry." He sat down on the floor and pulled Ammit into a cuddle to calm down.

"No, you're right." Harry said calmly and stood up to join Draco on the floor. He pried Ammit out of Draco's arms and pulled the blond man into his lap – slightly surprised that he didn't meet with defence. His arms snaked around the slender waist and pulled Draco's back tightly against his chest. "I'm really stalling." He admitted, and buried his face in the soft, fragrant, blond hair. "But I'm scared shitless what you'll say…"

"But you didn't correct that it wasn't my fault." Draco fulsomely pouted to lighten the mood a bit. Harry laughed a real and happy laugh and kissed Draco's neck.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. How could I forget such important fact?" he asked teasingly and loosened one arm from Draco's waist to seize his chin. He turned the blond's face gently aside and looked at him. "It was not your fault." He said slowly that Draco would see that he meant every word. "Actually," he added after a moment. "I think, the thoughts about you kept me sane." Harry leaned forward and captured Draco's lips in a kiss.

"You're stalling again." Draco mumbled after some slow, hot kisses, but didn't show the slightest inclination to stop Harry when he lightly sucked on his earlobe.

"It's not stalling. It's seducing." The brunet whispered and brought his mouth back to Draco's to guide his tongue along the soft lips. Oh bugger, he could do this all day long without telling Draco anything even though he slowly got a crick in the neck from his awkward position.

"Harryyyy." Draco whined and grumbled irritated when the big Golden Boy smirked against his lips. "Call it what you want, but you're procrastinating."

"Fine. Fine. Fine." Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair that strands loosened from his ponytail. He wrapped both arms once again around Draco's waist and was intent on staying in that position for as long as possible. He snuggled up to Draco's back and positioned his legs indian style that his blond love sat in the gap.

"Oh, come on." Draco poked Harry slightly with his elbow. "It can't be that bad." The brunet said nothing and didn't let go of the other young man. He inhaled heavily, held the breath for a moment and exhaled loudly to calm his frazzled nerves. Not that it was Draco's fault. He needed to know the truth. It would be no good to keep any secrets from the man he wanted to spend his life with, even if that sounded a tad corny.

"Do you remember the night when we met in the warehouse district?" Harry asked gloomily and saw the blond head nod.

"Of course I do. You saved my arse back then and received quite the nasty bashing. And you wore this ridiculous..." Draco's head whipped around, nearly bumping together with Harry's, and he stared at the brunet with big, round eyes. "It's about this strange mask, innit?"

Harry chewed at his lower lip and averted Draco's eyes. "It's... yes, yes the mask has to do with it." He knew that he now had the blond's full attention, when he shifted and struggled until he faced Harry and his legs rested on either side of the brunet.

"Go on." He said with a severe face and Harry felt a bit scrutinised, but he couldn't ask Draco to look away or ask what he was staring at, could he?

"It all began about eighteen months ago. I could even tell you the exact date, if I would ask Mione or Ron. It was the night when they told me that they would get married. I was really happy for them, but at the same time I got incredibly angry and freaked out once again." Harry lowered his head and stared at Draco's belt buckle that peeked out under the blond's shirt. "I was jealous... so damn jealous that they had each other, while I wanted you and couldn't have you." He jumped slightly when two arms wrapped around his neck, but he snuggled against Draco's chest and smiled happily when a kiss was pressed to the top of his head.

"I was able to suppress the anger long enough to leave and jumped on my bike to drive the rage away. I ended up in this warehouse district we've met some days ago, and began to smash with my magic the windows of some houses I walked along. Well, as luck would have it, I came across a warehouse were the light was burning and..."

"Your stupid Gryffindor courage forced you to have a look if, by any chance, someone was in dire need of some hero." Draco butted in and grinned goofily at Harry's mop of hair. The former Golden Boy pushed slightly away from Draco's chest and looked sheepishly at his lover. He shoved his hands under the soft shirt and seized the slender waist with both hands. "Harry." Malfoy warned quietly.

"No, not exactly the Gryffindor courage." The brunet answered, completely ignoring Draco's small warning. He held his hands still on the hips and let only his thumbs caress over the sharp bones. "It was more like... hoping that there were some idiots that were up to no good that I could beat the shite out of them." Harry saw the astonishment in Draco's grey eyes and lowered his own pair quickly. "I told you I was mental." He mumbled and snuggled back against Draco's chest.

His legs began to prickle and he stretched them out to get some relief. He accidently nudged Lilith with his right foot and the boxer growled angrily that she had been waken so rudely. "Sorry, lo-ove." The apology turned into a moan, when Draco's legs wrapped around his hips and tightened that their groins rubbed together.

"Go on." Malfoy said once again coolly. Just the smirk on his face revealed that he knew what he did to Harry.

"But."

"I could get up if you want me to." The blond lightly gibed and wriggled his bum in Harry's lap to get comfortable.

"No. You're a fucking tease." Harry grumbled in response and tried to suppress, or at least ignore, the _feelings_ that Draco stirred in him. "Why do you do this, when I should tell you something?" Harry almost whined, when he felt the blood rushing down to his groin, and thought that it was quite a legitimate question.

"Don't you want me here?" The blond asked poutingly and glanced at Harry, who had raised his head at the question, with huge, well-practised puppy eyes. Draco knew that he was a bloody tease, but he did it for Harry. Only for Harry. That the ex-Gryffindor wouldn't get all worked up about the memories and would keep his calm.

"Of course do I want you right here, but I can't tell you this and want to shag you senseless on the kitchen floor at the same time. I'm not that capable of multitasking."

"Well," Draco drawled the word fulsomely, with a cocksure smirk on his lips. "one thing at a time. The quicker you tell me, the quicker you can perhaps…" Draco left the sentence unfinished and saw Harry's intense look and the small tongue that darted out to moisten the brunet's lips.

"The warehouse was locked" the brunet went on in a strained voice. "and I got angrier about it and started banging on the roller shutter. I completely disregarded the fact that a group the size of an entire football team could come out, armed to the teeth and strike me down easily."

Harry smiled sheepishly at Draco, but the blond felt his stomach lurch about at the image that appeared in his head. It was a bit unusual for him to feel like that about another person - that protective. Just his mother had so far risen those feelings in him, but back then he'd been the stronger one, the bigger one. And now? Now, he sat in Harry Potter's lap and felt strong, muscular arms around his emaciated, unsexy, weak body. How should he, Draco Malfoy, protect a hero, THE hero?

"But I was a lucky bastard." Harry said with a big grin and didn't notice the relief that went through Draco. "The door in the roller shutter opened and a man like a bear came out, looking like he wanted to prove that he was worse than the feared football team."

"You are not helping here." Draco said in a light sing-song voice and glowered at Harry, his idea about distracting Harry, already forgotten. He heard and saw the brunet chuckle and loosened his legs from his hips.

"Hey, no need to flee. I'm happy that you're worried, but it's in the past and I'm sitting in front of you, don't I, so I'd survived, eh?" Draco nodded dully and chewed at the inside of his lower lip. Listening to Harry's story made him feel like he was in some bloody film - how do muggles call it ones again? Thriller? - and something really bad would happen every moment.

"Can we go upstairs? I don't want to sit here any longer." Harry smiled indulgently and only flicked his wrist once, before they landed on the master bed with a soft thud. Draco didn't even ask any more how he did that. He climbed out of Golden Boy's lap, lay down on the bed and waited until Harry lay down next to him, before he snuggled up to his side and slung the right leg over Harry's right one. It only took a couple of moments until he heard the dogs on the stairs. The door was pushed energetically open and twelve paws stomped on the wooden floor of the bedroom.

"Should we stop?" Harry asked softly, with his face so close to Draco's and tore Draco out of his thoughts that circled around the dogs, their sleeping places and Harry's warm body.

"I... eh... no. I want to know." He saw the small nod and gulped forcefully. Did he really want to know?

"The bloke asked me what I wanted. Okay, his words were more profane, but it sums it up quite good." How could Harry smile about such things, Draco wondered and listened to the, nonetheless cute sounds in silent disbelieve. "I asked what was going on inside that house and in return he asked me how that would be my fucking business. I told him I wanted inside and have a look and he laughed at me. Well, the end of that encounter was that I ended up in the warehouse and he, his name's Robert by the way, ended up with a dislocated shoulder and a broken shoulder blade."

"Oowww." Draco groaned in empathy. The very idea sent sparks of phantom pain through his shoulder blade and he touched his right shoulder carefully.

"He had asked for it." Harry reasoned coldly, but at the same time turned his head to place a gentle kiss on Draco's head. "And don't worry, it's all healed and fine for quite a while now and Robert and I get perfectly along." Draco didn't know what he should say or how he could comment on that, therefore he chose the easy way and shut the fuck up – for now. "So… where was I? Oh, yeah, right… I went into the warehouse and was confronted with something I thought only existed in the twisted minds of script writers."

The only remaining Potter offspring sat all off a sudden up and pushed a displeased Draco Malfoy from his body. "Have you ever seen Fight Club?" He blurted out and looked at his lover with raised eyebrows. Draco took his time to sit up, smoothing his button-up shirt and eyeing Harry with one arrogantly raised eyebrow.

"What do you think, eh?" He asked haughtily and hoped that Harry wouldn't notice his embarrassment. He had lived for three sodding years in the muggle world and had not the slightest idea what Harry was talking about. Fight Club? Should that be taken literally? Or was it some slang he had been left out?

"I think you've no idea what I'm talking about." Draco felt his ego deflate like a pricked balloon. He shoved his lower lip out into a sulk and looked at Harry with accusing eyes. "Aww, don't worry." Harry tried to console with a slight teasing undertone and pulled Draco back down on the bed. His left hand twisted in the fabric of Draco's soft shirt and tried to unbutton it roughly, while he coaxed Draco into a hungry kiss.

"Don't even dare think that you could distract me like that - again." Draco grumbled and pressed his palms against Harry's firm chest, but he didn't find the mental strength to push him away, when a big hand possessively palmed his manhood with incredible, yet painless, vigour. "Harry, please." Draco whined, dragging the last word and bunching his _assaulter_'s shirt with his hands. "Stop. I really want to know." He exclaimed and pushed Harry finally away.

Draco saw the small wrinkles forming at the corners of Harry's eyes and mouth when he tightened his lips and narrowed his eyes. He once again told himself that he wouldn't be scared of Harry sodding Potter. There was nothing to be scared of. Harry rubbed with both hands over his face and took one deep breath. He looked at Draco with calm eyes and bit his lower lip bashfully.

"Sorry. Now that I have you, I just can't keep my hands off of you." The brunet mumbled and laughed quietly when Draco's eyebrows rose. "I won't get out of this, will I?"

"Why do you ask all the while questions, you already know the answers for?"

"You can't blame a man for hoping to be proven wrong." Harry said with a stupid grin on his face and could, once again, not leave his hands off Draco, running his hand slowly up and down over the blond's trouser-clad leg. He saw the doubting look of Draco and wondered if he'd be pushed again away.

"What man? I see none." Draco gibed with an evil smirk and leaned back on the bed, enjoying the look of disbelief on Harry's face.

"Don't blow it with me. I warn you. Or I'll need to prove what a man I am." Harry answered, thinking that two could play the game. He wanted to lie back on the bed and snuggle up to Draco, but decided against it, knowing that he would never get done with telling Draco, if he got his hands on him. And the blond devil had promised him _something_ when he was done with his 'explanations'. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stared at the small rug that lay on the wooden floor at the end of the bed. With his back turned to Draco he could perhaps get it over with.

"The warehouse was one big hall and it was filled with many people that were seated in seat rows around an unusual boxing ring." Draco frowned at the mention of a boxing ring. He knew a boxing ring. What could be so _unusual_ about them? The blond sat up and leaned against the head-board to keep an eye on Harry's back. "The ring was surrounded with a two metre high mesh wire fence and only through a small, I'd call it a flap, you got into the ring. I really thought I was caught in another dimension." Harry said and shook his head, still in disbelief what he had seen and that he was a part of it now. Draco hung on his every word and didn't even notice that he leaned further forward with every new sentence that left Harry's mouth.

"People were cheering and yelling and cursing while two men were in the ring, seemingly trying to kill each another. They all went completely crazy while the men used different objects to strike the most painful blows. I've to admit I watched the whole scene in fascination and couldn't turn my eyes away until I was seized from behind and dragged out of the warehouse."

All of a sudden the brunet jumped up from the bed, turned around and kneeled on the mattress to snatch one of Draco's hands in his. Draco proverbially jumped out of his skin at the unexpected moves and hit is head on the wall behind the backrest, when he leaned back in a hurry. With his free hand he rubbed the tender spot, while looking into Harry's pleading eyes. His hand was squeezed tightly and an unsettling feeling of dread built in his stomach.

"Draco, baby, you need to believe me. I only agreed cos I was at a loss. I couldn't handle it any more and needed something akin to a valve to vent my anger I felt all the time. I didn't… I don't want to hurt my friends someday just because I couldn't control myself."

They stared at each other with big eyes. The grey pair full of disbelief, the green pair pleadingly and anxious. "You fight, don't you?" Draco asked quietly after a while, his voice matter-of-fact. "You participate in illegal fights to let off some steam and at the same time you're a kindergarten teacher?!" He had said the sentence, but wasn't sure if he meant it as a question or conclusion and if he could believe his own words.

Harry lowered his head, feeling shame he didn't understand, but he wouldn't let go of Draco's hand, no matter what. "I… I… yes. Some guys had dragged me out of the warehouse and a bald, skinny man stepped in front of me, with Robert by his side. He introduced himself as Mr August and asked me if I had done that to Robert. I really thought he would pull a gun any minute and shoot me in the head. After all, the two giants were still holding me in a tight grip. I felt my anger showing once again and told Mr August that I'd do the same to him if his two thugs wouldn't let go of me."

"He only chuckled." Harry went on and growled when the emotions from that night re-awoke in him again. He felt Draco's hand twitch in his bigger one and lifted it to press a soft kiss to the palm. He cradled the pale, slender hand in his two as if it was the most precious he owned in that very moment and drew with his thumbs small circles on the open palm. "He threw one arm over my shoulders and gently forced me to follow him."

"You have a lot of anger in you, boy, he had said. What d'you think about making some money out of it, he had asked and I understood immediately. He was the organiser of these events and wanted me to fight for him." Harry looked up at Draco with determination, because he knew he'd make the same decision now, he had done back then, if someone would ask him again. "And I said yes without giving it a moment's thought."

Draco slowly pulled his hand out of Harry's grip and even though the brunet wanted to snatch it back, he suppressed that urge and gave Draco some space that he apparently needed. He stemmed his arms on the mattress and pushed his body off the bed to leave. "Where are you going?" Draco asked quietly and looked at Harry with raised eyebrows.

The former Golden Boy turned around, a bit flustered, and looked at some spot above Draco's head. "I… thought you wanted to be alone… for a bit."

"Ha! Do you really think this discussion is already over, Potter? I won't let you that easily off the hook. Sit."

Harry frowned a bit at the sudden drawl in the blond's voice. "No, I just wanted to give..."

"Potter, shut up and sit back down." He decided to listen to Draco's demand, hoping to soothe the young Malfoy and saving the… whatever they had. He honestly hoped it would turn into a real relationship. Harry took his seat back on the bed and stared again at the small rug in front of his bed. He felt Draco shuffle on the big master bed, but didn't dare turn around in fear of the emotions he could perhaps see on Draco's face. Disgust, anger, contempt... who knew what someone would feel after hearing that story.

Well, Hermione and Ron had been more concerned and shocked than disgusted when they had forced the truth out of him. They had pestered him until he confessed, after they had become suspicious about his missing temper tantrums and his far more relaxed and mellowed out demeanour.

"What's with the kindergarten?" Draco asked incoherently and a small smile appeared on Harry's face when he thought about his small girls and boys and the love he received from them.

"I always liked children. They are still free and light-hearted in their spirit and when I'm with them I forget about my problems for a while. I actually always wanted to work in a job that has to do with children, but after I _inherited_ some of Voldemort's power and anger when I killed him, it was out of question. About half a year after I began fighting I thought I was finally able to try it and became a kindergarten teacher. I'm still an apprentice, but it's all the same for me."

"So, you are telling me that you're beating people up for money, but you actually don't need the money cos you're filthily rich, what means you beat them up for your sadistic satisfaction, because since you killed Voldemort you feel a lot of pent-up, wild anger in you and you need to get rid of it not to hurt your friends and the children you're working with?"

Harry contemplated that rather long sentence for a moment before nodding. "In a nutshell." He mumbled and fumbled with the bedspread, picking at non-existent lint.

"Is that why you don't ever use a wand anymore?" Harry nodded mutely, without lifting his eyes. "I see." Was Draco's only response and the room fell silent, only the sniffing of the dogs was audible.

---

So, the big secret's out and you finally know what's going on, what doesn't mean that it'll be the end of the story soon. There's still some plot left in my mind that needs to be written.  
I think I ended this chapter with no cliffy this time, did I? I hope you liked it and aren't disappointed by Harry's secret. I'm waiting for your opinions.


	17. Chapter 17

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**NOT BETAD - NOT BETAD - NOT BETAD - NOT BETAD -NOT BETAD**

**Important note at the end!**

**Chapter 17**

No wonder he had sometimes felt so much raw energy radiating from Harry and been slightly intimidated by it. Not scared. Never scared. Only intimidated. Slightly intimidated. Uhum.

"But one thing I don't understand." Draco said and broke a silence that was about to suffocate Harry. "You might be good, but you can't be THAT good. So why didn't you have any injuries when you came back in the nights. Or why don't you sport any scars except for the one you always had?" He asked curiously.

"You've no idea how good I am." Harry mumbled too quietly for Draco to hear and stood up to turn around and finally look at Draco with a wry smile. His hands went for the button border of his shirt and he enjoyed the look of confusion and enjoyment on Draco's face when he began to unbutton his shirt. "I've become much, much stronger through the part of Voldemort's power that transferred on me. But you're right, I'm good, but not that good. The injuries heal quite fast, unusually fast actually, but there remain scars if the injury has been more severe. I glamour those scars." The brunette explained and popped open the last button that the shirt parted and revealed smooth, tanned skin, stretching over strong, hard muscles.

"I want to see them." Draco said, almost demanding it without taking his eyes off the still smooth skin.

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "I thought as much." The shirt slipped from his shoulders and fell to the ground. His hands went to his belt and he heard Draco squeak in surprise.

"What, what are you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry." Harry said with a devilish grin and went for the first button of his jeans. "I don't use this as an excuse to jump you. Even though it's a quite tempting idea." The jeans fell to the ground and pooled around his ankles that only his skimpy, black boxer briefs covered his sex. Draco's cheeks burned and he felt like a virginal schoolgirl that saw a real man for the first time, naked. That he had given the same man a blowjob the other night made it somehow even worse.

Harry flicked his wrist and the glamour that had rested on him vanished instantly, leaving the true image of his body behind. Draco's eyes widened slightly and wandered up and down Harry's body. He moved from the bed and went over to the brunette.

His anatomy hadn't changed at all. He was still blessed with a gorgeous, muscular torso and his face hadn't lost any of its handsomeness, but the former unblemished, tanned skin sported now many straight or zigzag-shaped white lines. Some fresh, pink ones were also visible and Draco knew that Harry must have gotten them in the time since he, Draco, lived here.

He walked around the taller man as if appraising a suit on a dummy and Harry endured it patiently, not making a sound. With the index-finger of his right hand he followed a fairly large scar across Harry's left shoulder blade and felt the former Golden Boy shiver under his small touch.

"That one I've gotten from a usual carving knife that cut down to the bone. I had to steady my arm for two weeks and wore a sling all the time." Harry explained, without needed to be asked. He knew every so small scar on his body and how he had gotten it and knew he would never forget about them, even if he wanted to. They were like reminders of the pain he endured not to hurt people he loved.

"Only two weeks?" Draco asked in a whisper and stared at Harry's back in amazement. If that knife had sliced down to the bone it meant that it had cut through the muscles and that Harry must have bled like a stabbed pig. He tore his look from that particular scar and focused on another that had already caught his interest when Harry had dropped his trousers. The tips of his fingers had barely touched the badly scarred strip across the brunette's left thigh, when Harry took a step back. He frowned at his lover and went around him to look him in the face, but saw him only stare at his feet. Hadn't he seconds ago presented his scars as cool as a cucumber?

"You don't need to touch them," Harry mumbled, pressing his flat hand against the burn scar on his thigh, to hide it. "I know they're ugly." He added self-consciously.

Draco put his hand on Harry's and buried his fingers between Harry's to link their hands and pull the Golden Boy's hand away from the burn scar. "How did you get it?" he asked softly and ran his fingers over the puckered skin, with his hand still covering Harry's. Draco kept his eyes focused on the scar, but saw out of the corner of his eyes that Harry was looking at their hands and smiling softly.

"Someone dragged a hot fluorescent tube across my leg, after tearing my trousers." Draco's face scrunched up in sympathy and he took, unconsciously, a step closer to Harry. He let go of his hand and touched the scar once more before running his hand up the thigh until feeling the fabric of Harry's pants between his fingers. He played with the waistband without pulling the pants lower and enjoyed the look of lust that appeared in Harry's eyes. By now the former Gryffindor was half hard and swallowed heavily every time Draco's fingers dipped into his pants.

The blond looked openly at Harry's face and grinned smugly when Harry's breath hitched for a moment because he had taken one step closer again. He noticed the small, horizontal, white line under his left eye. The one that split his right eyebrow in two, because no hair grew anymore on the small path of scar tissue. And the small pink scar at the left corner of his mouth - the one he had seen before at the breakfast table.

"So, they don't use magic?" Harry snorted at that question, but apologised quickly when he saw the frown on Draco's face.

"No, they don't." He answered while taking a step back and bending down to pull his trousers back up. It felt a bit weird to talk about such violent acts with your trousers around your ankles. "They don't even know about magic and I definitely won't be the one who'll break news to them." He tried to close his trousers, with his erection hindering him quite a bit, when a hand landed on his and he saw Draco shaking his head with a dirty smirk gracing his lips.

"Don't you think it's a bit unfair that you have such advantage on your side?" Draco asked quietly and if Harry wasn't mistaken he tried to sound erotically – what worked out perfectly, mind you.

"Ah, I don't think so." The last syllable came out in a squeak when Draco's hand landed on his thigh, quite close to his begging erection. "They all have their own tricks up their sleeves; mine just differ a bit from theirs."

"Uhum." Draco hummed and allowed Harry to snake his arm around his waist and rest his hand on his bum. Why, he couldn't tell, but the idea of Harry as a bad boy aroused him; knowing how much raw energy lingered in that amazing body and that it only would be used to protect, but never to harm, him. He knew that Harry could feel his arousal and he wished it would be enough to make him go wild. He wanted to be grabbed by those strong arms and thrown on the bed to feel Harry's strength in a way his opponents would never be allowed to.

"When's your next fight?" He asked in a coy murmur and his eyes, which were focused on Harry, matched his voice when he peeked through thick lashes up at the brunette. Only the hand that moved in soft, slow strokes up and down along Harry's thigh betrayed the image of the little, defenceless creature, he tried to portray.

"Draco, stop teasing me?" Harry said and every word revealed the effort it took him to get that sentence out.

"Answer my question and I'll stop." Draco said and pressed his lips against Harry's Adam's apple.

"No!" The brunette protested. Draco pushed slightly away from the broad chest he leaned on, and looked at Harry in question with one raised eyebrow.

"Well..." He drawled, when there came no further explanation. Harry countered the look with his own eyebrows raised, but caved in quickly and turned his eyes down with an audible sigh. "Fine, I like it when you tease me, okay?" He admitted and knew that he made a fool of himself.

The blond young man chuckled lightly and ran his hand suggestively over Harry's chest. "I think I know that, silly. I wanted to know about the fight."

"Oh." The brunette breathed, feeling even stupider now that he had admitted something he hadn't needed to. But Draco leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss on his lips and everything seemed somehow right again. "Actually, I, eurm, have to go tonight," He explained sheepishly while hugging Draco close to his body. "but if you don't want me to…"

"I'll come with you." The blond blurted out, stunning Harry for a whole minute into silence. He eyed Draco up as if he tried to find visible symptoms for insanity.

"No, you won't." He answered deliberately, after having given up search.

"Of course, I will." Draco huffed and wound his way out of Harry's arms. He crossed his own arms in front of his delicate body and stared calmly at the former Gryffindor; a perfect pout adorning his mouth.

"No, you won't. Look," Harry said softly, trying to make Draco see reason, when the blond glowered at him. He ran his hand through the soft blond strands and smiled indulgently at his lover. "it's far too dangerous for you and I don't want you to get hurt by some idiotic arsehole." He let his hand run over Draco's left cheek and thought he had him when he saw and felt him rubbing his cheek against his palm. As if Draco could be so easily persuaded…

"Fine." the blond answered as softly and turned towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Harry called out when the blond was about to leave his bedroom. Draco didn't even bother to stop and turn around, and instead answering while walking away.

"To my room, of course, to give you some rest before your stupid fight." Harry stumbled after him like a berk to hear his every word and almost fell over the carpet in the hallway.

"But you promised me something, Draco." Malfoy bit his lip hard to hide the smirk that showed on his face after hearing the despair in Harry's words. He was a horny little bugger, wasn't he?

"I did, didn't I?" He asked, with his hand on the handle to his bedroom. "I don't feel like it any more. I think I'm getting a headache." He went in his room, but left the door open, in a calculating fashion that told everyone who was bothered enough to use their brains that he was playing with Harry Potter.

Harry Potter's mind, though, seemed to be on vacation. He stormed after the lithe blond, taking hold of his wrist to spin him round. "Don't fuck with me, Draco Malfoy!" Harry growled, while keeping a tight grip on Draco's wrist. The blond wasn't quite sure if he rather run for cover or jump the idiot and start frotting him. This angry Potter was damn arousing. His wrist was throbbing in pain, but he couldn't care less when he saw those flipping green eyes full of rage and lust. The pain was somehow important in that very moment and made it even better.

"I think we already clarified that I've a headache, so no need to tell me there will be no sex." Draco teased, but flinched when Harry raised his other hand. But instead of the expected slap in the face, the grip on his right wrist loosened until the warm, strong fingers were completely gone. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Harry staring at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He fumbled with the strap of his wristwatch before running both hands through his hair and making a mess out of it. "You won't give up until I'll take you along, will you?" He sighed heavily and took again hold of Draco's hand. His thump caressed over the bruised wrist and it healed immediately. "Hit me the next time I hurt you, 'kay?" He mumbled and lifted the freshly healed wrist to his lips. Draco gulped forcefully at the sudden tenderness, but compelled himself to 'tough it out'. He squared his shoulders and raised one eyebrow.

Harry's shoulders sagged, realising he was at the end of his tether. "All right." He sighed heavily in defeat. "You can come along. But only" his head snapped up and he looked at Draco seriously, his voice having risen in volume. "if you'll listen to me, don't get yourself in trouble and wear a mask as well." He stared at the blond, daring him to protest in any way.

"Okay." Draco said with a big smile and chuckled at Harry's gobsmacked expression.

"Okay? No protest? No objections?" He asked full of disbelief and startled when Draco stepped into his personal space and snuggled up against his chest. Mistrusting the odd _truce_ Harry wrapped his right arm slowly around Draco's slender frame and frowned suspiciously at the blond shock of hair.

"Why should I complain? I've just gotten my way."

---

Exactly seven days ago, in a beautiful flat in the middle of Vienna:

"Narcissa, please. You need to eat something. I made the soup myself, so no grubby, little elf mitts have touched it." Despite her exhausted condition the blond woman laughed softly. It was an unusual way Severus Snape took to make her smile, but it worked every time and she loved him even more for his endeavours.

She stirred the soup in the small bowl with her spoon, but didn't even think about taking one bite. Her eyes wandered from the clear, hot liquid up to the dark, dark brown eyes of her lover. No wonder that everyone always thought he had black eyes, but they simply didn't care enough to look closer. For her he had eyes the colour of the darkest chocolate she knew.

"Severus, will you do me a favour?" Her voice was soft, void of any strength and she hated it. She longed to return to the times when her voice was strong and she could sing for her beloved. Yes, that had been her happy moments.

"Everything you want. Why do you still ask?" Another reason why she loved him so much. She was the only one who knew that particular side of Severus Snape.

"Will you call the registrar? I finally want to say 'I do'." She said softly and expected to see Snape's eyes gleam in delight, but was profoundly mistaken.

"No, I won't." The unpopular Potions Professor declared gruffly and glared at Narcissa as if she was some Gryffindor.

"Sev." She admonished him with a loving voice, knowing very well that it was his form of self-protection. "It has been your wish for such a long time now and only because I've felt marred by Lucius I haven't granted myself my biggest wish. But now that..."

"No! Not under these circumstances!"

"Don't pout, Severus. It's unbecoming for a man like you." Narcissa teased and chuckled softly when he growled in annoyance. The chuckle turned into a nasty coughing fit and Snape was up in a moment to support her frail body.

"Ssh. It's okay. Keep breathing." Severus whispered, running his large hand over her head as if she was a fragile porcelain doll. He called her favourite house-elf that fluffed her pillows while he held her to his chest in a tight embrace. He settled her back against the small mountain of soft pillows and kissed her forehead. No one knew him like that and she once again felt incredibly special.

"Please, fulfil my wish." Lady Malfoy whispered and knew he relented when Snape rose from his place on the bed with a loud sigh. Without another word he went to the door, but stopped before leaving the room.

"Very well, but only if you'll eat your soup now." He pulled out his wand and with a short flick of his wrist the serving tray shifted back to Narcissa and the soup was once again hot.  
Clouds of steam wavered against her face and she could smell the delicious food, but her appetite wasn't reacting to it. Picking the spoon reluctantly up, she listened to Severus' powerful, deep voice talking to the right persons via floo-call. Malfoys always got what they wanted, even if their biggest wish was not to be a Malfoy anymore. With a wry smile, she pushed the spoon in her mouth and let the hot liquid run down her throat. It was a pity she wouldn't have much time to enjoy being Mrs Snape, her own cowardice had queered her pitch massively.

---

"Listen, Draco" Harry said when he kneeled down in front of his wardrobe and looked up at the blond man. They had found their way back into Harry's bedroom, but out of the wrong reasons in Harry's opinion. He was still a bit petulant about Draco denying him the promised sex so far. Even the nervousness that his love could get hurt while 'visiting' the warehouse district didn't dampen his arousal. "this is no joke and I need you to promise me that you will keep on the mask all the time. All those people, no matter if fighters or audience, are quite determined to keep their little hobby a secret. Anonymity and discretion are vital."

Draco's eyes lingered on the drawer that had always been locked so far and listened to Harry's words only half-heartedly. "Draco, are you listening?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah... keep on the mask." He repeated and stared at Harry's right hand when it rested on the silver handle of the drawer. He was the moth and the drawer was the light.

"Draco, this is important. There are many rich, spoiled persons around. If they want something, they get it, even if needs to be taken by force. I won't allow you get taken away from me, so keep that fucking mask on!" Harry growled and must have hit a sore spot of Draco's.

"Well, if you would finally give me that sodding mask, I could wear it, couldn't I?" The drawer glowed blue and Harry yanked it open with an angry huff. Draco tried to get a glimpse of the contents, but the brunet reached inside, pulled something out and pushed the drawer closed again. The mask flew at him and Draco caught it automatically.

"Put it on. I want to see if it fits." Harry demanded and got up from the floor. The young Malfoy frowned at the behaviour, but kept quiet. Not knuckling down to Harry, mind you, only avoiding an irritating argument. He held the mask between both hands and looked suspiciously at it. It looked well-worn, but free of any gore or grime. He brought the mask to his face and pulled it over his head. The zip was done up easily, without catching strands of hair and Draco knew from the very first moment that he didn't like the feeling of the mask against his face.

It was too close, it was damn uncomfortable and he felt as if his head was trapped. He tugged nervously at the long, leathery ears that hung on each side of the mask and completed the image of a dog. "Harry, I... do I really need to wear this? I mean, don't you have another... I could wear the crash helmet all the time, you know."

Harry, whose temper seemed to have calmed down, looked at him with an understanding smile and engulfed him in a hug. "Don't worry, love, you'll get used to it in no time at all. Besides, you actually look quite cute."

"I hope you know how many taunting lines just popped into my head at that pervy-disguised-in-compliment comment." Draco mumbled against Harry's chest and moaned when the brunet bit his neck in sweet revenge.

"Gah. Bastard."

"I know."

---

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** I've no idea when I'll be able to post the next chapter. I'm really, really busy at the moment with work and falling in love with a wonderful person that I've no time to write anything. I hope you understand that RL is quite important to me at the moment. Screw work, but the love guys, The love...


	18. Chapter 18

**BARKING DOGS DO NOT BITE**

**NOT BETAD NOT BETAD NOT BETAD**

**Chapter 18**

Harry sat on his motorcycle with Draco snuggled against his back and was grateful for it. Grateful, that he had been strong-minded enough to go down to the garage and pull the bike out to get under way without molesting Draco in any possible way.

At first he had thought about taking the Mustang, but the wonderful prospect of seeing Draco in a riding suit had almost overloaded his hormones and he had quickly changed his mind. Twenty minutes later he knew he had made a big, big mistake. He hadn't had a second riding gear, but had resized a thicker leather trouser and a jacket to fit Draco and one of his fantasies had come true seeing Draco like that.

Huge, innocent eyes looked up at him, asking silently if Harry approved of the outfit and he wanted nothing more than grabbing the blond and peel every piece of clothing off the delicate body to worship it.

Harry gulped constrained and flinched when Draco tensed his legs to shift on the pillion. He took his right hand from the handle and reached back to rest it on Draco's thigh. A small gesture, intended to calm Draco, turned into another temptation for Harry's libido. He felt the leather tightly stretching across Draco's leg, even through his gloves, and allowed his hand to slither along the thigh to grab one bum cheek possessively. The blond's arms tightened around his waist and he smirked in delight.

He pulled the bike over at the usual spot and turned the engine off. Draco loosened his arms from his waist and dismounted. "Why do we stop?" He asked, after taking his helmet off. Harry kicked the kickstand down and dismounted from the bike as well. Unhurriedly, he took off his gloves and helmet, ran his hands through his hair and opened his jacket to fetch his packet of fags.

"Well, do you think we picked a mask for you for nothing?" The brunet asked and lit his cigarette.

"What's this? Already giving your bad-boy image a warm-up?" Draco growled and took a step back from the smoke that the wind carried his way. Harry sighed and rubbed his lover's upper arm.

"Sorry, I'm always a bit tense before I get there."

"No shit?" Draco exclaimed sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "Put that thing out." He demanded and scrunched up his face when Harry brought the fag once again to his mouth to take a deep drag and lift one corner of his mouth in a half-smile. "Well, fine if you prefer that smoke more than a good-luck-kiss from me, I'm okay with it." Draco said dismissively and pulled his dog-mask out of his pocket.

He unfolded the soft leather and tried a bit clumsily to pull the mask over his face. Harry flicked the cigarette, in favour of the promised kiss, away and snatched the mask out of Draco's hands. "Let me." He said, but pulled the blond into a demanding kiss, instead of fastening the mask. He wrapped one strong arm around Draco's still too slender waist, when the young man struggled to break the kiss. He shoved his hand under the leather jacket , rubbing the warm skin that stretched over Draco's hipbone and the blond succumbed.

"You taste like an ashtray." Draco grumbled, when they broke apart, but couldn't suppress the impulse to lick his deep-red, swollen lips. Harry chuckled quietly and let go off Draco, to help him with the mask. He gently pushed all blond strands out of his face and pulled the mask over his face. With one smooth movement he reached around Draco's head and closed the mask carefully, without catching any hair.

Dark brown eyes stared up at him and he pressed a gentle kiss to the leather-hidden nose. "Don't worry, in a moment or two, you won't feel the mask anymore." Draco only snorted. Harry pulled his own mask out of one pocket and in a matter of seconds he had pulled it over his head.

"Ready?" He asked, straddling the bike and patting the pillion seat, and finally Draco understood where they would drive now and nervousness spread in his stomach. He kneaded his hands and looked uncomfortably at the motorcycle.

"Eurm... well, do you think... I mean what do you mean..."

"Draco, don't you dare tell me now you want to chicken out and pestered me for nothing." Harry said, half laughing, half grumbling. Draco glowered at him hard enough that Harry could see the narrowed brown eyes even with the sparse light the street lamp offered.

"I. Do. Not. Chicken. Out." The blond said through gritted teeth, before straddling the bike with new found determination. "What are you waiting for? I don't have all day." Draco said loftily but fell into profanities when Harry laughed while starting the engine.

{}{}{}

The brunette knocked forcefully at the roller shutter while reaching with his free hand for Draco's slender digits. They were freezing cold and he pulled Draco closer to wrap his arm over the smaller man's shoulders to let him absorb some warmth Harry radiated. "Promise me to stay by my side." He murmured and pressed a kiss to one leather-covered temple.

The roller shutter rattled excruciatingly loud in the silence of the night, when someone pulled it open. Draco instantly knew, remembering Harry's descriptions, that this Robert bloke was facing them and grinning wickedly at Harry. His look wandered over to Draco and the grin died immediately. "What's this, Evans? Bringing your own fan club, now? Or should I say groupie?" He laughed at his own joke and didn't notice Harry letting go of Draco and storming over to him, until the brunet's hand curled around his throat.

"Careful, Robert." Harry hissed, not caring that he was smaller than the other man. "He is no groupie, is that understood?" The big man nodded awkwardly and looked down at Harry with something akin to fear. "You'll keep an eye on him when I'm in the ring, won't you?" Robert nodded again and got free from Harry's hand.

The former Golden Boy turned slowly around and simply held his hand out for Draco, who obeyed and stepped closer to take hold of it. They went inside the warehouse and the blond young man wasn't that sure any more, if he wanted to be here. People were yelling and cheering while two men fought in the centre, not even stopping when blood ran down their faces and torsos.

All in all the entire bunch, in Draco's opinion, was completely off their sodding trolleys. They hadn't even noticed the opening and closing of the roller shutter.

Harry held his hand in a firm grip, what he was grateful for -otherwise, he thought, he might get lost- and led him away from the masses to a small hallway that was obviously only for the participants of the event. Two bulk men stood at the entrance, but allowed Harry and him access without moving even one muscle in their faces.

He could still hear the yelling and screaming and profanities and sometimes, he thought, the pain filled grunts of the two fighting men, but the thick walls dulled the sounds to an endurable level. Harry kept quiet and didn't turn around once to check if he was all right, until they reached a massive steel door that looked like all the others that lined the hallway. The brunet opened the door with ease and allowed Draco to enter first. He appreciated the gesture, he certainly did, but in his opinion Harry had chosen the wrong moment to show off his gentleman skills.

Draco apprehensively entered the room, not knowing where Harry had led him, and his eyes tried to scan the area quickly. It was a small, badly lit room with no window and the last time this closet had seen fresh air must have been ages ago. Pressed against the left wall he saw a shabby filthy sofa, against the right wall stood a couple of lockers and at the wall opposite was a small table with a mirror resting on it that it looked like a parody of a dressing table.

A young man sat on a chair and stared into the mirror and Draco saw him watching them with help of the reflection. Harry closed the door and stepped behind Draco, resting one hand on his hip. The young man turned around on the chair and stood up. He smiled at Harry, and Draco saw that he was lusting after Potter, even though he probably only knew him with the dog mask on. Draco, on the other hand, was completely ignored by the milksop.

"Hello, Mr Evans." The man, Draco wanted to say 'boy', purred. "I wondered when you'd arrive today. Shall we begin?" Without waiting for an answer he went over to the lockers, opened one and pulled out heavy looking knee-high combat boots and a pair of green army trousers, made of thick, heavy fabric.

The blond looked suspiciously at the items and turned around. "What does he..." he snarled the pronoun and his upper lip curled into a sneer "...wants to begin with?" Even with the mask hiding Harry's face, he could see the man's unease.

"Well, he helps me... dress." Harry mumbled and pulled nervously at one ear of his mask.

Draco's head spun around that his neck muscles tensed painfully for a moment, and he glared at the other bloke. "Dress?" He asked, the word thickly laced with jealousy, and didn't bother with the big hand that landed on his arm to probably calm him. The smug grin on the lips of this annoying milksop just infuriated him more and he wanted to bitch slap it off his bloody face.

"Out." He bit out through gritted teeth.

"I won't go, if Mr Evans..."

"Get. The. Fuck. Out! You won't dress anyone here tonight. That'll be my task from now on. And now bugger off."

"But, sir..." The younger boy whined and looked up at Harry with huge, pleading eyes. Draco was all of a sudden absolutely convinced that the child couldn't be older than sixteen and was already lusting after a man, who was only twenty-one himself but had seen far more than others would ever see in their entire life.

Harry shook his head and ran his hand without any subtlety over Draco's bum. "No, Alex. If he wants you gone, you'll go." The brunet said coldly, without bothering about the heartbreaking look in Alex' eyes.

"Mr Evans, you can't be serious. I always helped you." The boy exclaimed, still holding the trousers and shoes in his hands. "And just because this... this nancy weaseled his way in your bed, you send me away?" He added, like the petulant child he apparently was.

Draco felt Harry getting mad and wasn't particularly surprised when Harry shoved him aside, stalking over to the child. "Alex, I warn you..." Even though he couldn't stand the little bugger, he couldn't allow that he got hurt. He hurried over to the other two and curled his fingers around Harry's left upper arm.

"I think you should go now, boy."

"I don't need your help, arsehole." Alex yelled, but dropped the items he still held and stormed out of the room, aka closet.

The door slammed shut and Harry turned towards Draco with a broad grin, but it fell the moment he saw the blond glare daggers at him. "What?" He asked oafishly and increased Draco's anger only a bit more.

"I can't believe you. You have a minor dresser? What sick kink's that of you?" Draco yelled, sounding almost hysterical.

"WHAT? I'm not paedophilic. That's plain sick. He's only trying to earn his pocket money. Draco, I sent the boy away because you wanted it and said you'd help me from now on."

The blond snorted and turned away from Harry to look at his reflection in the mirror resting on the small table. He looked so... odd with brown eyes and this dog-mask... certainly odd. "Well, and what will you do the next time I'm not accompanying you? Calling for your little, minor call-boy?"

Harry was behind him in no time and pressed him against the edge of the table. He felt his heavy breathing against his neck and the warmth sent tingles down his spine. "Don't Draco, don't! I'm already on the edge and don't need this bollocks. So, it's best if you keep your mouth shut, unless you want to put it to good use."

Even though he'd heard the slight threat in Harry's words, Draco was turned on, especially at the ideas that sprang to his mind about putting his mouth to good use. The blond stuck out his bum and began rubbing it against Harry's crotch.

"Fuck. Fuck you, Draco Malfoy." Harry moaned and grabbed the blond's hips with both hands. He heard Draco chuckle and turned the smaller man slowly around to hear what so funny was, but Draco pressed their bodies together and rose up on his tiptoes to bring his mouth incredibly close to his ear.

"Not yet, Potter. Not yet." He whispered and his hands wandered down to Harry's trouser buttons. "So, what was that again about helping you dress?" He asked seductively and Harry wondered, even though he was incredibly turned on, where Draco had learned to talk like that. He allowed the blond to open all of his fly buttons, before taking hold of the thin wrist and pushing the hand against his waiting arousal.

Where was his little,scared Draco? Or had he been like that in Hogwarts and Harry hadn't noticed back then? He felt this nasty possessive streak again awakening and kept Draco's hand firmly pressed against his fully erect manhood. His arousal wasn't especially helpful while he already felt edgy. "Draco, why don't we..."

The heavy steel door was pushed open without the appropriate polite knock and Robert stared at them from the hall. Draco wrenched his hand out of Harry's grip and pulled it out of the brunet's open trousers. "James, your turn. It's time." The big, buff man announced in a deep voice and didn't bat an eyelid at the scene in front of him.

"I'll be out in a moment." Harry grumbled dissatisfied and didn't wait for Robert to close the door again before pulling his jacket off and throwing it through the room. The door slammed shut and the tall brunet pulled his shirt over his head and flung it at Draco. The smaller man growled in protest, but held the shirt with both hands firmly against his chest. Harry flopped down on the chair the boy had used before, to get out of his biker boots and Draco decided to pick up the boots and the trousers that the brat had left in front of the lockers.

He waited in front of Harry until he was finally out of his boots, and kneeled on the ground when the brunet stood up to undo his trousers. "What are you up to?" Harry asked with his eyebrows scrunched up.

"Well,..." Draco drawled and Harry felt his cock twitch at the sound. "aren't I meant to help you dress?"

---

Yes, I know... FINALLY chapter 18! Sorry, it took so damn long, but here's the deal. I'm busy as f*. Work's killing me and it's already a miracle that I somehow find time to see my love. I'm really trying to write more, but I can't say how long it'll take to present you chapter 19. I'm really, really, really happy that you are so patient and didn't abandon this story (I feel like I somehow did, but I won't).

HAPPY EASTER!


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